AUSTIN TREATED FOR PROSTATE CANCER
Officials say he developed infection after having surgery
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had surgery last month after a prostate cancer diagnosis, officials disclosed Tuesday, detailing for the first time what condition led to serious medical complications and a lengthy hospitalization that he kept secret for days from the White House, Congress and the American public.
Austin’s condition was announced by the Pentagon in a statement attributed to John Maddox and Gregory Chesnut, doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. They said the retired Army general, 70, was diagnosed with cancer in December after routine screening and underwent a “minimally invasive surgical procedure” known as a prostatectomy, in which all or part of the organ is removed, while under general anesthesia. He was admitted Jan. 1 after developing complications from the surgery and remains a patient there.
As with his hospitalization, Austin withheld the existence of his cancer diagnosis from Biden and other key administration officials, the White House acknowledged — this time for weeks, raising new questions about his transparency with the president.
The two men, whom administration officials describe as close, had spoken by phone Saturday evening while Austin convalesced at Walter Reed. But officials said Biden did not learn until Tuesday, shortly before it was revealed publicly, what condition precipitated the defense secretary’s medical crisis.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, conceded during a news briefing, “We all recognize that this didn’t unfold the way it should have.”
“It’s not good,” he added. “It’s certainly not good.”
While Austin’s cancer was detected early and his prognosis is excellent, his doctors said, he developed nausea and pain in his abdomen, hip and leg. He was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection, and additional evaluation determined abdominal fluids had impaired the function of his small intestines, prompting doctors to drain his stomach with a tube through his nose, the statement says. Officials had said he was in “extreme pain” when taken by ambulance to Walter Reed.
“He has progressed steadily throughout his stay,” the doctors said in the statement. “His infection has cleared. He continues to make progress and we anticipate a full recovery although this can be a slow process. During this stay, Secretary Austin never lost consciousness and never underwent general anesthesia.”
Austin, known to be intensely private and spotlight-averse, required about a week in intensive care, officials said. The Pentagon publicly disclosed his hospitalization late Friday — four days after he was admitted. An uproar ensued when it was learned the Defense Department had notified Biden and the White House only one day before that.
Asked why the secretary had been so reluctant to disclose the nature of his medical situation, the Pentagon press secretary, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, said the matter was “intensely personal.”
While Austin is back on the job from his hospital room, defense officials have reportedly begun making adjustments to account for his condition.
Critics, including political adversaries and allies, have admonished the administration for its secrecy, with many noting the calamity that could have occurred with the United States actively, if indirectly, involved in two wars and the recent rise in attacks on U.S. forces deployed in the Middle East. Internally, some frustrated officials have complained as well, saying the handling of the incident showed “unbelievably bad judgment” on Austin’s part.
Kirby said the president was informed of Austin’s cancer by Jeff Zients, the White House chief of staff. Biden, Kirby said, had been unaware that Austin transferred his authorities to the Pentagon’s No. 2, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, as he underwent surgery Dec. 22.
White House officials have repeatedly stated in recent days that Austin’s job is not in jeopardy despite his failure to disclose such a serious illness. “We have complete confidence in the secretary,” White House press secretary Karine JeanPierre told reporters.
Similarly, the Pentagon has said that Austin does not intend to resign and that no one working for him has offered to do so, either.
Some Republicans in Congress have said Austin should step down. Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana announced Monday his plan to introduce articles of impeachment against the defense secretary.