Nobody bothered to alert President Joe Biden that his Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, was hospitalized for a week. Austin was in the ICU for three days of his week-long stint at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The nature of Austin’s stay has not been disclosed. All that has been revealed and confirmed by the Pentagon is that Austin was at Walter Reed after an elective procedure. All signs point toward the 70-year-old Defense Secretary doing just fine.
However, there is an issue here because Austin is sixth in line of succession from the President and refused to even alert anyone of his hospitalization. Before going to Walter Reed, Austin appointed the Deputy Secretary to his position without telling her why he was doing so. The Biden Administration has often categorized itself as being the most ‘transparent,’ but secretive hospital visits like this and other incidents throughout Biden’s time in office make that statement appear as a joke at best.
SOURCES:
Pentagon Confirms That Defense Secretary Austin Was Hospitalized For A Week
Lloyd Austin hospitalization scandal: New details from Pentagon
Pentagon waited three days to inform White House that the defense secretary was hospitalized in ICU
White House backs Defense Secretary Austin after secret ICU stay
What happened to US Defence Secy Lloyd? Pentagon tight-lipped over ICU stay – Hindustan Times
Defense Secretary Austin resumes duties, was in intensive care unit for days as public kept in the dark
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on racial bias he’s experienced throughout career – YouTube
Diagram of a Boeing 737-9 mid-cabin door plug and components (Source: Boeing) : r/aviation
