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Tag: Austin
January 23, 2024
NatSec

Lloyd Austin is America’s First ‘Work from Home’ SecDef.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is scheduled to attend a virtual meeting from his home on Tuesday addressing Ukraine’s military needs, according to the Pentagon.

This marks his first ‘public’ interaction since his undisclosed hospital admission on January 1. Austin was hospitalized following complications from prostate cancer treatment. He and his staff took pains to keep the hospitalization secret and did not notify the White House of his condition for days.

Austin underwent a procedure to treat prostate cancer on December 22, 2023. He was readmitted to hospital on January 1 due to post-surgery complications that included a urinary tract infection. Neither his deputy secretary, Kathleen Hicks, nor President Biden were notified about the hospitalization until January 4. Austin withheld his cancer diagnosis from the White House and senior defense officials until January 9.

President Biden agreed that the Defense Secretary’s decision to withhold his condition was a “lapse in judgment” but expressed continued faith in the nation’s most senior defense official. Others, including former President Donald Trump, have called for Austin to be removed from duty. Austin was bedridden in the hospital during an anti-Houthi military operation off the coast of Somalia that resulted in the deaths of two U.S. Navy SEALs.

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is scheduled to attend a virtual meeting from his home on Tuesday addressing Ukraine’s military needs, according to the Pentagon. show more
January 16, 2024
Ed Kozak
Politics

Audio Reveals SecDef Austin Staff Tried to Hide Medical Issue, Asked Ambulance to Turn Off Lights, Sirens.

An audio recording obtained by The Daily Beast suggests that at least one close aid to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin conspired with Austin to hide his condition from the White House and the public at large. In the recording, taken of the January 1 911 call Austin’s aid made on his boss’s behalf, the aid can be heard urging responding authorities to be “subtle” in their response and not to attract attention.

“Can I ask—can the ambulance not show up with lights and sirens? Uhm, we’re trying to remain a little subtle,” the aide said. “Usually when they turn into a residential neighborhood, they’ll turn them off,” a dispatcher assured the aid.

Austin, who was released from the hospital on Monday, has come under fire for hiding his hospitalization following cancer surgery from the proper authorities, including the White House, for days. The Defense Secretary’s behavior has resulted in some, including former President Trump, calling for him to be fired.

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An audio recording obtained by The Daily Beast suggests that at least one close aid to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin conspired with Austin to hide his condition from the White House and the public at large. In the recording, taken of the January 1 911 call Austin's aid made on his boss's behalf, the aid can be heard urging responding authorities to be "subtle" in their response and not to attract attention. show more
January 9, 2024
Health
Politics

SecDef Lloyd Austin Was In Hospital for Prostate Cancer, and Subsequent UTI.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was treated for prostate cancer last month, according to a statement from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Austin experienced complications from the procedure, which led to his hospitalization on New Year’s Day and subsequent failure to notify the White House and defense officials of his status.

Although the statement is the first official explanation of why Austin was in the hospital, it still does not explain the Defense Secretary’s failure to notify the proper authorities of his status.

“Changes in his laboratory evaluation in early December 2023 identified prostate cancer which required treatment,” the statement said. “On December 22, 2023, after consultation with his medical team, he was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure called a prostatectomy to treat and cure prostate cancer.”

On New Year’s Day, however, Austin was admitted to Walter Reed with complications from the December 22 procedure, including nausea and severe pain in his abdomen, hip, and leg, where he was found to have contracted a urinary tract infection (UTI) and impaired small intestine function due to fluid buildup.

“This resulted in the back up of his intestinal contents which was treated by placing a tube through his nose to drain his stomach. The abdominal fluid collections were drained by non-surgical drain placement,” according to the statement. “He has progressed steadily throughout his stay. His infection has cleared. He continues to make progress and we anticipate a full recovery although this can be a slow process. During this stay, Secretary Austin never lost consciousness and never underwent general anesthesia.”

The White House is currently reviewing Cabinet member protocol following the incident, while GOP Rep. Matt Rosendale will submit impeachment articles against Austin for “violat[ing] his oath of office time and time again, and has jeopardiz[ing] the lives of the American people.”

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was treated for prostate cancer last month, according to a statement from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Austin experienced complications from the procedure, which led to his hospitalization on New Year's Day and subsequent failure to notify the White House and defense officials of his status. show more