WASHINGTON — Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin didn’t inform Congress or the White Home as required when he was incapacitated because of remedy for prostate most cancers or when issues worsened his situation final yr, the Pentagon’s watchdog concluded in a extremely vital report launched Wednesday.
The inspector basic’s report faults Austin for the communications failures early final yr by which he stored his hospitalization secret for days, even from President Joe Biden. The inspector basic discovered that his robust want for privateness doubtless influenced his employees in deciding to not prod additional into his situation.
The report, signed by inspector basic Robert Storch, describes textual content messages and calls underscoring employees considerations concerning the scenario and who may very well be notified, and it famous conflicting recollections of occasions. However no bombshells concerning the beautiful lapse emerged within the findings revealed simply 4 days earlier than Austin leaves the job and President-elect Donald Trump takes workplace.
In a number of situations, employees mentioned Austin instructed them to maintain his hospitalization quiet. However Austin mentioned he didn’t say that. In a single instance, he directed a employees aide that if anybody had questions, “you’re more than welcome to ask (me) directly” — doubtless chilling additional inquiry, the report mentioned.
And one among his safety employees mentioned Austin acknowledged, “We’re not notifying anybody,” so that they stored the medical issues as “private as possible” and didn’t notify Austin’s chief of employees or others.
In later textual content messages to Austin’s junior aide, the chief of employees, Kelly Magsamen, mentioned, “I wish (Secretary Austin) were a normal person but he’s the (secretary of defense). We have a big institutional responsibility. He can’t just go totally dark on his staff. … Please pass to him that we can’t keep his hospitalization a secret forever. It’s kind of big deal for him to be in (the intensive care unit).”
She additionally famous that White Home and different officers had been asking questions on Austin’s whereabouts and that they must be notified quickly, including that she was “uncomfortable” with the scenario.
Austin didn’t inform both Congress or the White Home of his preliminary remedy in December 2023 for prostate most cancers or inform his employees or the White Home of his worsening issues on Jan. 1, 2024, which led him to be taken by ambulance to Walter Reed Military Nationwide Army Medical Middle.
“No one on Secretary Austin’s staff knew the seriousness of his condition, including when his condition became worse and he was transferred to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) the following day,” the report mentioned.
The findings mirror a lot of the criticism in an inner evaluate executed a few month after Austin was admitted to Walter Reed. That inner evaluate, executed by Austin’s subordinates, largely absolved anybody of wrongdoing for the secrecy surrounding his hospitalization. And it mentioned flatly there was “no indication of ill intent or an attempt to obfuscate.”
Though he transferred decision-making authorities to Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks throughout his preliminary surgical procedure after which once more when he was in intensive care, he didn’t inform her why and he didn’t inform the White Home.
The incident angered the White Home and infuriated members of Congress, who referred to as him to Capitol Hill for a listening to, the place he confronted bipartisan criticism and and calls for that somebody ought to have been held accountable.
Austin himself, in a prolonged press convention after he returned to work, largely took the blame. He instructed reporters that he by no means instructed his employees to maintain his surgical procedure and hospitalization secret from the White Home, however acknowledged that he ought to have dealt with it in another way and apologized for protecting Biden and others at nighttime.
Austin was recognized with prostate most cancers in early December 2023 and went to Walter Reed for surgical procedure on Dec. 22. On Jan. 1, 2024, he was taken again by ambulance after experiencing important ache and was moved to the intensive care unit the following day.
Pentagon officers have acknowledged that public affairs and protection aides had been instructed on Jan. 2 that Austin had been hospitalized however didn’t make it public and didn’t inform the navy service leaders or the Nationwide Safety Council till Jan. 4. Solely then Biden discover out. It took 4 extra days earlier than the rationale for his hospitalization was disclosed.
The inner evaluate blamed privateness restrictions and employees hesitancy for his or her failure to rapidly notify the president and different senior leaders about Austin’s hospitalization. And it referred to as for a variety of procedural modifications to enhance communications and keep away from related issues sooner or later.
The modifications embrace higher pointers for the switch of authorities and higher reporting necessities throughout these incidents. And the White Home additionally made modifications in federal pointers because of the incident.