In his first press conference since returning to the Pentagon after being secretly hospitalized following surgery for prostate cancer — a diagnosis which was also kept from the President and Americans — Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he takes "full responsibility" for the scandal that saw the Biden administration and his Department of Defense colleagues go days without knowing his whereabouts or condition.
Addressing the "issues" around his hospitalization and the subsequent scandal of his secret diagnosis and ICU stay, Austin said he wanted to be "crystal clear: we did not handle this right, and I did not handle this right. I should've told the president about my cancer diagnosis," Austin said. "I should have also told my team and the American public, and I take full responsibility. I apologize to my teammates and to the American people."
Defense Secretary Austin on his first major address since his hospital stay:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 1, 2024
"We did not handle this right, and I did not handle this right. I should’ve told the president about my cancer diagnosis. I should’ve also told my team and the American public. And I take full… pic.twitter.com/XWDRGPh4O6
Despite the crisis in America's military leadership amid attacks on U.S. troops and chaos in the Middle East, Austin insisted that "there were no gaps in authorities and no risk to the Department's command and control" while he was quietly — at his staff's request — whisked to Walter Reed and admitted to the ICU.
"At every moment, either I or the deputy secretary was in full charge," Austin maintained. "And we've already put in place some new procedures to make sure that any lapses in notification don't happen."
As for his current condition, Austin said he is "recovering well" and thanked the doctors and staff at Walter Reed but added he is "still recovering" and dealing with "leg pain."
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