UPDATE: Secretary of Defense Breaks Silence About Secret Hospitalization

This just in: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has finally released a statement concerning his secret hospitalization.

In his official statement, Austin claimed full responsibility for keeping his hospitalization a secret, but did not address what his ailment was or give any reasons why he failed to notify anyone – including Biden or Congress – about it.

Read his full statement here:

I want to thank the amazing doctors and nursing staff at Walter Reed for the exceptional care they have delivered to me and for the personal warmth they have shown my family. I also appreciate all the outreach and well wishes from colleagues and friends. Charlene and I are very grateful for your support.

I am very glad to be on the mend and look forward to returning to the Pentagon soon.

I also understand the media concerns about transparency and I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better.

But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.

Statement from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on medical care:

"I also understand the media concerns about transparency and I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better." pic.twitter.com/aJpYIxSj7t

— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) January 6, 2024

Since New Year’s Day, the Defense Secretary has been in an intensive care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD.

For four days, Austin failed to inform Joe Biden or White House staff of his absence. Biden did not learn of the Defense Secretary’s hospitalization until Thursday, and Congress found out Friday.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military was engaging overseas with terrorists in Iraq and the Red Sea…

News of this stirred up quite the storm on social media:

🚨Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin waited four days to inform Congress and the public about his hospitalization, which landed him in the ICU.

The Biden administration still won't disclose the cause.

Source: FOX pic.twitter.com/dxnHVN2hcz

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 7, 2024

Biden had no clue that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in the ICU for three days.

This is not a real administration.

This is a joke administration.

Castle Rock. pic.twitter.com/7ID56hHVK0

— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) January 7, 2024

The New York Times reported on this latest development:

On Saturday night, Mr. Austin issued a mea culpa.

“I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed,” he said in a statement. “I commit to doing better.”

Mr. Austin added, “This was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decision about disclosure.”

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President Biden and Mr. Austin spoke by telephone Saturday night, a U.S. official said, adding that the president was glad to hear that Mr. Austin is recovering. Another official said that the president has full confidence in his defense secretary. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive situation.

It was late Friday evening when Mr. Austin’s spokesman, Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, put out a statement to the news media that the secretary had been hospitalized. General Ryder said patient privacy prevented him from elaborating about Mr. Austin’s medical issue.

In the Friday statement, he said the defense secretary, who is 70, was “recovering well and is expecting to resume his full duties today.”

Mr. Austin was still in the hospital on Saturday, a defense official said.

Politico updated their original story about the Defense Secretary’s secretive leave of absence to include his cryptic statement:

The Pentagon did not tell President Joe Biden and other top officials about Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization for three days, three U.S. officials said.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan and other senior White House aides didn’t know of Austin’s Jan. 1 hospitalization until the Defense Department sent over word Jan. 4, two other U.S. officials said. Sullivan informed Biden shortly after DOD’s Thursday notification.

The officials said it was highly unlikely that Austin conveyed word to Biden privately before Sullivan’s briefing. “If Jake didn’t know, no way the president knew,” one of them said. “Who would have told him of Austin’s condition if not Jake? And if someone did tell the president, Jake would’ve been his first call.”

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All officials and other people who spoke for this story were granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.

Biden held a “cordial conversation” with Austin on Saturday night, per one of the U.S. officials. “The president has complete trust and confidence in Secretary Austin,” the official said. A National Security Council spokesperson echoed that sentiment, noting Biden “is looking forward to [Austin] getting back to the Pentagon.”

But the news of Austin’s situation came as a shock to all White House staff as they were unaware the Pentagon boss was dealing with complications following an elective medical procedure, the officials said. National Security Council staffers were surprised it took the Pentagon so long to let them know of Austin’s status. The Pentagon didn’t make the information public until Friday evening, notifying Congress about 15 minutes before releasing a public statement.

“This should not have happened this way,” said one of the U.S. officials. The NSC and Pentagon declined comment.

In a Saturday statement after an earlier version of this story published, Austin said, “I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better. But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”