Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin took “full responsibility” for keeping his hospitalization secret for several days at the height of the war in Ukraine and Gaza.
“I recognize,” he wrote in a note, “that I could have done a better job ensuring that the public was adequately informed. I am determined to do better. But it's important to say that this was my medical procedure and I take full responsibility for my decisions regarding disclosure.”
The association of journalists who cover the Pentagon expressed “serious concerns” about the secrecy of Austin's hospitalization in a letter to the U.S. Department of Defense and said delaying the announcement days until “late Friday evening” was scandalous move. “The public has the right to know when U.S. Cabinet members are hospitalized after a medical procedure, under anesthesia, or assigned tasks,” the association emphasizes.
For his part, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder assured that “Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks was ready to act at any time and to exercise the Secretary's prerogatives if necessary,” without specifying whether this case had occurred.
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