Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Politics

Biden not informed of Secretary Austin’s cancer diagnosis until weeks after, same day as public: ‘Not optimal’

by January 10, 2024
January 10, 2024
Biden not informed of Secretary Austin’s cancer diagnosis until weeks after, same day as public: ‘Not optimal’
Read this article for free!
Plus get unlimited access to thousands of articles, videos and more with your free account!
Please enter a valid email address.
By entering your email, you are agreeing to Fox News Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive. To access the content, check your email and follow the instructions provided.

President Biden first learned of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s prostate cancer on Tuesday, which was the same day as the public and a month after the diagnosis.

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center revealed Tuesday that Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early December and underwent a prostatectomy on Dec. 22.

Per Walter Reed, the 70-year-old recovered uneventfully from his surgery and he returned the following morning. His prostate cancer was detected early and the prognosis is ‘excellent,’ the hospital said.

During his hospitalization, Austin transferred authority to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks and did not inform the White House. The Defense Department has for days said Austin was initially at Walter Reed for an ‘elective medical procedure’ and not prostate surgery. 

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday that Biden was not informed of Austin’s hospitalization until last Thursday and only learned of the cancer diagnosis on Tuesday.

Asked whether Biden believed the time-lapse was acceptable, Kirby said it was ‘not optimal.’ 

‘For a situation like this to go as long as it did without the commander in chief knowing about it or the national security adviser knowing about it or, frankly, other leaders at the Department of Defense, that’s not the way this is supposed to happen. The president understands that,’ Kirby said. 

White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients released a memo earlier Tuesday to the president’s Cabinet with regard to protocols for delegating authority. It asks that every Cabinet agency submit in writing their current existing protocols for a delegation of authority they have in place for review to the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs and the chief of staff by Friday.

Zients’ memo also directs protocols that Cabinet agencies must undertake in the event of a delegation of authority, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. The Pentagon has also launched its own review.

‘We all recognize that this didn’t unfold the way it should have. On so many levels, not just the notification process up the chain of command but the transparency issue, we all recognize that. And I think we all want to make sure we learn from that,’ Kirby said. 

It was still not clear on Tuesday how this would affect Austin’s job, travel or other public engagements going forward.

The Pentagon issued a memo Monday on its own internal review and broadened the circle of leaders who would be informed of any delegation of authority by the defense secretary to ensure that in the future ‘proper and timely notification has been made to the President and White House and, as appropriate, the United States Congress and the American public.’

Going forward, any time authority is transferred, a wider range of officials who will also be notified include the Pentagon’s general counsel, the chair and vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the combatant commanders, service secretaries, the service chiefs of staff, the White House Situation Room, and the senior staff of the secretary and deputy secretary of defense.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin diagnosed with prostate cancer
next post
Gas drilling in Jeremy Hunt’s Surrey constituency given green light

You may also like

And, Just Like That… American Taxpayer Dollars Are...

October 8, 2022

Hospitals warned they must protect children from chemical...

March 7, 2025

Mike Pompeo suggests Trump wasn’t ‘true conservative leader’...

March 6, 2023

Republicans demand answers on shifting White House message...

July 21, 2023

Senate GOP pushes Trump budget framework through after...

April 5, 2025

Christie slams Trump as ‘only man to lose...

February 6, 2023

Vance gives full-throated support for Israel, has choice...

October 7, 2024

DeSantis cancels NBC, CNN appearances Sunday over scheduling...

January 21, 2024

Florida man arrested for threats to kill Eric...

January 5, 2024

Harris launched ‘dark-arts operation’ against opponents for VP...

April 9, 2025

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Rubio condemns assassination attempt on Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe

      June 8, 2025
    • Obama WH physician says Biden doc should have performed cognitive test

      June 8, 2025
    • Trump warns of ‘serious consequences’ if Elon Musk funds Democrats

      June 7, 2025
    • Musk jokes about reconsidering stance on Big Beautiful Bill after Schiff’s praise

      June 7, 2025
    • Musk deletes explosive posts about Trump and Epstein files

      June 7, 2025
    • House witness flips script on Dem who ambushed him during hearing with unearthed tweet: ‘Iceberg is ahead’

      June 7, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,152)
    • Investing (2,019)
    • Politics (15,570)
    • Stocks (3,136)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved