Reports surfaced that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin concealed his cancer diagnosis from the Biden administration for one month, prompting a Democratic lawmaker to demand his resignation. The House Armed Services Committee member from Pennsylvania, Democrat Rep. Chris Deluzio, shared his statement on X on Wednesday afternoon.
"I have lost trust in Secretary Lloyd Austin's leadership of the Defense Department due to the lack of transparency about his recent medical treatment and its impact on the continuity of the chain of command," stated Deluzio.
Summary: Austin, the subject of recent news, was hospitalized after complications from an elective medical procedure. The White House was unaware of his hospitalization until January 4th. Additionally, Austin's prostate cancer diagnosis was not known to the White House until January 9th, a month after the disease occurred.
While Deluzio isn't the only Democrat in Congress to demand that Austin step down, his stance stands out. On Monday, House Republican Conference chair Elise Stefanik made a similar suggestion. There have been several calls for an official probe of the event from both Democrats and Republicans.
After keeping his illness and hospitalization a secret from the president and the American people for an extended period of time, Austin apologized over the weekend.
I am relieved to hear that I am improving and want to get back to work at the Pentagon as soon as possible. I empathize with the media's concerns on openness and acknowledge that there was room for improvement in keeping the public adequately informed. "I promise to improve," he said. "But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure."
"I have lost trust in Secretary Lloyd Austin's leadership of the Defense Department due to the lack of transparency about his recent medical treatment and its impact on the continuity of the chain of command," stated Deluzio.
Summary: Austin, the subject of recent news, was hospitalized after complications from an elective medical procedure. The White House was unaware of his hospitalization until January 4th. Additionally, Austin's prostate cancer diagnosis was not known to the White House until January 9th, a month after the disease occurred.
While Deluzio isn't the only Democrat in Congress to demand that Austin step down, his stance stands out. On Monday, House Republican Conference chair Elise Stefanik made a similar suggestion. There have been several calls for an official probe of the event from both Democrats and Republicans.
After keeping his illness and hospitalization a secret from the president and the American people for an extended period of time, Austin apologized over the weekend.
I am relieved to hear that I am improving and want to get back to work at the Pentagon as soon as possible. I empathize with the media's concerns on openness and acknowledge that there was room for improvement in keeping the public adequately informed. "I promise to improve," he said. "But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure."
