By Marlyn Montilla
27 Feb 2024, 09:31 AM EST
Internal Pentagon investigations determined that there was no “ill will” in the secrecy that occurred during the hospitalization of the United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, due to complications from prostate cancer surgery.
The document, released Monday, reiterated that the secrecy was not the result of deliberate attempts by government officials to conceal the health of 70-year-old Austin from the public or the White House.
The Secretary of Defense underwent a prostatectomy on December 22 of last year to treat his cancer and was discharged, but on January 1 he returned to the medical center at night due to a urinary tract infection related to the surgery. and was admitted to an intensive care unit.
The hospitalization caused great controversy, given that neither Austin nor his team informed President Joe Biden of what happened until January 4, three days after being hospitalized, and the Pentagon did not issue a statement until the 5th. from January.
Likewise, the secretary of defense and retired general apologized for what happened and, in an appearance on February 1, admitted that he had not handled what happened well, assuming full responsibility, and asked “forgiveness” to all American citizens.
For its part, the Republican Party was not satisfied with the explanations given by Austin, denouncing that during those days there was a power vacuum with regard to the Pentagon at a critical moment for the United States, in which the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza threatens regional escalation in the Middle East.
In this sense, at the request of the Republicans, the Pentagon leader will testify on Thursday before the Armed Forces Committee of the Lower House, where the conservatives have a majority.
Keep reading:
- House Intelligence Committee warns of “serious threat to national security”
- Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense of the United States, resumed his work remotely
- Defense Secretary’s trip to Brussels canceled after being hospitalized for bladder problems