Day 13: Sec. of Defense Austin still in hospital

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Saturday marks the 13th day that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin remains hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, after suffering complications from a Dec. 22 surgery for prostate cancer at the hospital, kept secret from the president. Austin returned to the hospital on Jan. 1 and was admitted to the intensive care unit, something he also kept secret from the president and nation for four days.

Sec. Austin has been in the hospital for 14 of the past 24 days.

The Pentagon issued a statement Saturday that indicated it does not know when Austin will be released: “Secretary Austin remains hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and is in good condition. He’s in contact with his senior staff and has full access to required secure communications capabilities and continues to monitor DOD’s day-to-day operations worldwide. We do not have a specific date for Secretary Austin’s release from the hospital at this time but will continue to provide daily updates until then.”

On Friday, President Joe Biden acknowledged that Austin had used poor judgment when he went into the hospital without telling the commander in chief, Congress or the public.

During a campaign stop at a coffeeshop in Allentown, Penn., Biden was asked by a reporter, “Do you have confidence in Secretary Austin?”

Biden responded with just two words:

There reporter followed up, “Was it a lapse in judgment for him not to tell you earlier?”

Biden responded with just one word, “Yes.”

Austin was in the intensive care unit for three days before Biden, who was on vacation in the Bahamas, was notified. Also not notified that Austin was in intensive care was Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, who had been notified that she was taking over some of his duties. She, too, was on vacation in Puerto Rico.

On Thursday, the U.S. and Britain carried out dozens of air strikes on Houthi military targets, widening the various conflicts in the Middle East, which began when Hamas terrorists conducted a terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Other U.S. military action has been ongoing in the Middle East throughout Austin’s hospitalization.

On Friday the Department of Defense inspector general opened up an investigation into the order of events that started before Austin was first hospitalized Dec. 22, such as when his first diagnosis for cancer was made, who knew, when they knew, why he did not tell the president, and how the chain of command was secured for the several weeks since the secretary’s medical crisis began.

When Austin first revealed the hospitalization, on Jan. 5, he said, through the Defense Department, that the initial procedure that took Austin to the hospital was “elective.” Walter Reed Hospital later admitted that it was not elective but required prostate surgery.

14 COMMENTS

  1. Maybe he’s dying and they got him on life support. Government always so secretive like we the people can’t handle such stuff. What they take us for a bunch of five year olds? Speak for themselves, its bureaucrats can’t handle changes. Then they have to find the right replacement not to disturb the plan.

  2. The reason his stay is so long is because he is doing his stay without any drugs that might affect his judgement. Yes that’s what I 🤔

  3. What are all of these “events” pulling our distraction from? Something is going on that is taking away more of our freedom and rights and we are focused on shiny.

  4. Whatever he is undergoing, I’m sure that it’s nothing that several days of intubation and a strong course of remdesivir won’t cure. It’s called ‘science’.

  5. Just a permutation on working from home. Maybe they’ll shift him to long term care and he can ruin, ah, run the military from there.

  6. He spends a lot of time in Kiev! And our Constitutional Military Gen Eric Smith says so! They can track the criminal Biden Admin people all over the world because of the intel they gather.

  7. Being ill isn’t a crime, but trying to hide it from the public is very tacky and dangerous. Especially so, while under his watch we are in desperate situations in both Ukraine & the Middle East. Time for Austin to go. He won’t be missed.

  8. This is shaping to be a very bad year that shows little hope of ending well. Strong leadership from any source is required to stabilize the world situation. For the rest of us, faith of a higher power is appropriate.

  9. NOT saying that he is buuuuut, how long does it take to mutilate one’s self from a man into a “woman”? Seems to be a cultural expectation for ol Grope’n Joe’s cabinet…Ask’n for a friend…

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