New details shed light on how top White House officials, including President Joe Biden himself, were not informed for days that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had been hospitalized last week in a shock turn of events.
Reporting on Saturday also divulged that Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks took charge while she was on vacation after Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday for what the Pentagon described as “complications following a recent elective medical procedure.”
The Department of Defense (DoD), which did not publicly disclose Austin’s health matter until close-of-business on Friday, released a statement from the defense secretary sharing that he was recovering and expressing contrition for how the situation had been handled.
“I want to thank the amazing doctors and nursing staff at Walter Reed for the exceptional care they have delivered to me and for the personal warmth they have shown my family. I also appreciate all the outreach…