Republicans blast US Defense Secretary Austin over health secrecy
By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republican lawmakers slammed U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a hearing on Thursday for failing to disclose his prostrate cancer surgery and subsequent hospitalization to President Joe Biden and even his deputy at the Pentagon.
Austin, with support from Democrats on the House of Representatives Armed Services committee, sought to dispel accusations that his absence jeopardized national security or demonstrated any lack of influence he might have in Biden's Democratic administration.
But Republicans questioned how Biden could go for days without knowing Austin was hospitalized.
«I find it very concerning that the secretary could be hospitalized for three days without anyone else in the administration even noticing,» said Representative Mike Rogers (NYSE:ROG), the committee's chairman.
«That suggests Secretary Austin's advice is not sought or heeded in the White House, even while military operations were ongoing in the Middle East.»
Instead of disclosing his health situation, Austin opted to keep secret his initial prostate cancer surgery in December as well as a subsequent January hospitalization for post-surgical complications that landed him in the intensive care unit.
Austin has apologized for the way he handled the matter, including to Biden himself, but his appearance before the committee was the first time lawmakers could directly question him.
The hearing was one of the most contentious and personal that Austin, a retired four-star general, has faced in his career.
Representative Jim Banks, a Republican, called the secret hospitalization an embarrassment, and chided him for holding no one accountable. He pointed to Chinese and Russian accounts that
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