Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, who was at the center of a scandal due to a delay in notifying him of his hospitalization, is not going to leave his post. This was announced on Monday, January 8, by US Defense Department spokesman Patrick Ryder.
“Minister Austin has no plans to resign from his position. <…> He is focused on continuing to work as Minister of Defense and serving for the benefit of the defense of our country,” he shared on the TV channel Fox News.
US Defense Secretary Austin was hospitalized on January 1 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center with complications following a routine medical procedure. At the same time, the fact that he was in the hospital for five days was hidden from the public.
Thus, on January 5, American journalist and Newsmax TV channel host Todd Starnes commented on Austin’s hospitalization, wondering why this information was disclosed only a few days later. The Politico newspaper, in turn, reported that information about the hospitalization of the head of the Pentagon “came as a shock to all White House employees,” who were not aware of Austin’s complications after the medical procedure. At the same time, the American Congress was notified about the illness of the US Secretary of Defense 15 minutes before the publication of the Pentagon press release.
On January 7, the US defense department reported that Austin was still hospitalized, the date of his discharge is still unclear.
On the same day, former US Vice President Mike Pence called Austin's secret hospitalization unacceptable as citizens of the United States have the right to know what is happening. He also reproached the Pentagon chief for negligence, pointing out that even the country's President Joe Biden did not know about the hospitalization of the head of the military department. And member of the House of Representatives, Republican from Nebraska Don Bacon noted that hiding information about the health of the Pentagon chief is a “failure of leadership.”
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