Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin apologizes for secret hospitalization, reveals why he didn’t disclose diagnosis
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Thursday he was “shook” when he learned of his prostate cancer diagnosis late last year, admitting that his “first instinct” was to keep it to himself despite his cabinet role.
“It was a gut punch,” Austin, 70, told reporters in his first appearance before the media since he was rushed on Jan. 1 to Walter Reed National Military Hospital — where he scandalously remained for four days without telling his boss in the White House or his colleagues at the Pentagon.
“Frankly, my first instinct was to keep it private,” he added after admitting that he deal with the situation well.
“I did not handle this right,” the Pentagon chief said. “I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis. I should have also told my team and the American public. I apologize to my teammates, and to the American people.”
Austin was ultimately kept at Walter Reed for two weeks as doctors helped him through complications from the Dec. 22 prostatectomy — which he also kept from the Biden administration.
The secrecy shocked Washington, with Republicans and Democrats in Congress calling for his resignation.
While Austin is notoriously private, critics argued he lost some rights to personal secrecy when he took on the nation’s top defense job — a rebuke which Austin accepted on Thursday.
“I don’t think it’s news that I’m a pretty private guy. I never like burdening others with my problems. It’s just not my way,” he said. “But I’ve learned from this experience that taking this kind of job means losing some of the privacy that most of us expect.”
The “American people have a right to know if their leaders are facing health challenges that might affect their ability to perform their duties even temporarily,” Austin went on.
The secretary further claimed that both his diagnosis and his status as a black man contributed to his apprehension to disclose his condition.
“It’s probably not an issue of secrecy as much as it’s an issue of privacy,” he said. “Cancer is very private … if you know what the initial diagnosis feels like. And among the black community, it’s even more a thing that people want to keep private.”
“In my case, I should have informed my boss. I did not. That was a mistake, and again, I apologize to him for not doing so,” he added.
Though President Biden was in the dark about Austin’s initial four days in the hospital, the secretary asserted that “there were no gaps in authorities and no risk to the department’s command and control” during his absence.
“At every moment, either I or the deputy secretary was in full charge,” he said. “And we’ve already put in place some new procedures to make sure that any lapses in notification don’t happen.”
The Pentagon and the Defense Department’s Inspector General are currently conducting a review of the situation, and are expected to issue recommendations to avoid further notification failures.
Some additional questions — including why his aide asked 911 operators for “no lights and sirens” to guarantee a “subtle” ambulance pickup — will come to light after the review is completed, Austin said, adding that he did not direct his aide to make that request.
While Austin claimed he never directed his staff to hide the truth, he also objected to a reporter’s question about whether he had “created a culture of secrecy” that unduly influenced the actions of his aides.
“I don’t think I’ve created a culture of secrecy,” he said. “I think there will be security officers, there will be other staff members who may perceive that they’re doing things in my best interest, and I can’t predict or determine or ascertain what those things may be.”
“I just know what I said and did not say and, of course, you know, I have a great staff and they always want to intend to do the right things,” he added.
After his discharge Jan. 15, Austin worked from his $3.5 million Virginia home — even hosting a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group from a makeshift home office — before returning to the Pentagon this past Monday.
Since then, he has been buzzing around the five-sided building in a golf cart as he continues to suffer lingering leg pain.
Austin has been invited to testify before the House Armed Services Committee about the secrecy scandal on Feb. 14.
The secretary did not say whether he would do so, though he noted he would work with the committee to address their questions.
