Officials in the United States claim that for days, senior Biden administration officials, members of Congress and top Pentagon officers were unaware that Austin was hospitalized.
Older Biden administration officials, members of Congress, and best Pentagon officials allegedly were unaware that Austin had been admitted to the hospital for days. Top Biden administration figures, members of Congress, and best Pentagon officials, according to U.S. officials. Austin had been hospitalized for days.
Officials in the United States claim that for days, senior Biden administration officials, members of Congress and top Pentagon officers were unaware that Austin was hospitalized.
The Pentagon was seen on Sunday, August as shown in the file. On the 27th of 2023, in Washington. (File Photo by AP/Carolyn Kaster). through Associated Press. WASHINGTON (AP) — Top-ranking Biden administration members, Pentagon leaders, and congressional representatives were in the dark for several days about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization, according to U.S. officials on Saturday. The mystery surrounding his condition and the secrecy around it prompted many questions. It wasn’t until Thursday that the Pentagon informed the White House National Security Council and Jake Sullivan, a senior advisor— Austin had been hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland since Monday, two administration officials reported. The officials, who were not granted permission to address the matter publicly, spoke to the AP under the condition of remaining unnamed. Advertisement. The Pentagon’s delayed revelation about Austin’s hospital stay demonstrates an alarming absence of openness concerning the details of his illness, its severity, and his potential discharge date. At a period when the United States is managing an array of national security threats, maintaining this level of secrecy goes against the usual protocol followed by the president, other high-ranking U.S. authorities, and Cabinet members. Austin accepted accountability for the late disclosures in a statement delivered on Saturday evening. He admitted, “I acknowledge that I could have been more effective in making sure the public was suitably informed.”