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Over the weekend, Republican lawmakers, including former Vice President Mike Pence, criticized Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for waiting days to notify President Joe Biden of the hospitalization.
Mr. Austin was hospitalized on New Year’s Day due to complications from an elective surgery, but Mr. Biden was not informed of the military’s civilian leader’s hospitalization until January 4, when National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan A source close to the matter said that he was informed by Mr. He spoke to CNN about this matter.
Following Austin’s hospitalization, Pence wished him well but called the lack of transparency “totally unacceptable.”
“I believe the American people have a right to know about his condition and why,” he told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union,” and characterized Austin’s actions as a “dereliction of duty.” Ta.
Sen. Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement Saturday that withholding information about Austin’s hospitalization is “unacceptable.”
“We are pleased to hear that Secretary Austin’s condition has improved and we wish him a speedy recovery. However, the fact remains that the Department of Defense deliberately withheld the Secretary of Defense’s medical condition for several days. That is unacceptable,” Wicker said.
Wicker said the lack of transparency regarding Austin’s hospitalization “undermines confidence in the Biden administration.”
He continued, “Unfortunately, there are now more questions than answers: Why was the notification process under 5 USC 3349 not followed, and who made the decision not to comply?” ” 5 USC 3349 is the United States Code for reporting office vacancies and applies to the head of each executive agency.
Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma called the lack of disclosure about Austin’s hospitalization “shocking” on “Fox News Sunday.”
“This is pretty shocking because if you’re the secretary of defense, you have to let everyone know that you’re actually paying your own way,” Lankford said.
Mr. Lankford went on to say that the problem was not just Mr. Austin’s absence from office, but that key parts of government were not aware of it.
“Apparently the National Security Council didn’t know, the White House didn’t know, the Congress didn’t know. We’re in a period of a lot of turmoil internationally,” Lankford said.
House Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn told Tapper that Austin’s actions were a “dereliction of duty” and that he disagreed with Pence, calling Austin a “stand-up guy” and a “great secretary of defense.” ” he called.
“Right now, we have some laws in this country, HIPAA laws, that keep us out of people’s health care business, and this man is protected by those laws just like anyone else, and the application of those laws. I believe he has a right to that. He has a duty to keep the public informed. And whether it was him or someone within the military who decided to do this. I don’t know, but I’m sure he’ll do a little better in the future, doing what he says he’s going to do.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken answered reporters’ questions at a news conference in Qatar on Sunday, saying he was “not aware” of Austin’s medical problems at the time.
“I spoke with Mr. Lloyd over the weekend before this incident, and I am aware that Mr. Lloyd has issued a statement on this matter,” Blinken said.
He added: “Serving alongside Lloyd Austin remains one of the great privileges of my career, which has spanned more than 30 years in government.” He is an extraordinary leader for this country, in and out of uniform, and serving with him was the highlight of my service, and I hope he makes a full recovery and this year I’m really looking forward to seeing them work together. ”
Austin is a key member of Biden’s Cabinet, holding one of the most important roles in the national security establishment, especially as the U.S. military faces rising tensions in the Middle East.
On the same day that Mr. Austin was hospitalized, Mr. Austin, one of Mr. Biden’s top national security officials, took part in a New Year’s Day phone conversation with the president in which they discussed, among other things, the escalating situation in the Red Sea, according to the call. A person familiar with the matter told CNN.
The call was said to have taken place in the morning, but it is unclear whether it was before or after Austin was admitted to the hospital. But the secretary appeared to be in good spirits during the meeting, officials said at the time.
During Austin’s hospitalization, the United States carried out an attack on a pro-Iranian militia commander in Baghdad. Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Austin authorized the attack before being hospitalized.
Two U.S. officials said that while Austin was hospitalized, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks was on vacation in Puerto Rico and regularly filled in for the defense secretary. Hicks had arrived in Puerto Rico before Austin was hospitalized.
Austin has since returned to full duty. A White House official said he spoke with Biden on Saturday night and said, “The president has full confidence in Secretary Austin and looks forward to his return to the Pentagon.” .
On Saturday evening, Austin thanked the “amazing” staff at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for his treatment and said he was “on the mend” and looking forward to returning to the Pentagon.
He acknowledged “the media’s concerns about transparency” and said in a seven-sentence statement that he was “committed to doing better.” However, he did not apologize for not notifying the public or the press in a timely manner. Hospitalized government and military officials typically issue statements within 24 hours.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s MJ Lee, Oren Liebermann, Haley Britzky, Natasha Bertrand and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.
