Pentagon tried to hide the news of Defense Secretary Austin going missing for a week
January 8, 2024
Lawmakers are demanding answers from the Pentagon after Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III did not swiftly publicly disclose that he was hospitalized due to complications from a recent medical procedure.
News of Austin’s hospitalization wasn’t widely known until days into his stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., with details withheld from the media, Congress, Defense Department leadership and President Joe Biden himself.
And as of Monday — one week after Austin’s Jan. 1 admission — a series of questions remain about who in the Biden administration and Pentagon knew what, when, regarding the top DOD civilian’s condition.
The episode has elicited strong criticism from the Hill and journalists alike, who decried the lack of transparency as war rages in the Middle East and Ukraine and Houthi militants continue attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea region.
https://popularmilitary.com/pentagon-tried-to-hide-the-news-of-defense-secretary-austin-going-missing-for-a-week/
