Where’s the transparency?
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was admitted to the hospital on January 1. The American public was not told of this development until Friday, January 5.
Why was there such a long delay in disclosing that fact? Remember when Joe Biden pledged to have the most transparent administration ever? Good times. Good times. Whatever Biden pledges to do, take the opposite to be the truth.
Secretary Austin was hospitalized on January 1 due to “complications following a recent elective medical procedure.” That is according to Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary. Ryder said that Austin is recuperating but did not give any specific information. He is in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The 70-year-old Austin is “recovering well and is expecting to resume his full duties today.” That is what Ryder announced on Friday.
The Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, had not been capable of fulfilling his duties for five days and the Pentagon said nothing about that. WTH? There was no mention of when Austin is expected to be discharged from the hospital. And the Pentagon did not offer an explanation about the secrecy of his hospitalization.
Lloyd Austin is a big deal in the Biden administration. Biden nominated him as the first black defense secretary in 2021. We know how important it is that boxes are ticked when someone is nominated to serve in this administration. Why are they hiding his medical challenge now? We don’t need to know all the details of his personal medical records but shouldn’t someone clarify what the elective surgery was and what the complications are that he is experiencing now?
The world is on fire and Biden has involved us in the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war. Iran is poking Biden in the eye. Our troops are being attacked daily on military facilities in the Middle East. There are attacks on ships in the region. There is a lot going on that the secretary has to monitor. Is the Biden administration so tone-deaf that it didn’t consider how a delay in disclosing Austin’s condition would land with the public? Apparently so.
Jennifer Griffin, FNC’s Chief National Security Correspondent, noted that this is something that happens in China. Ouch
This is the type of behavior you expect from the Chinese government. https://t.co/e0Zclvnmhw
Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) January 6, 2024
Austin returned from a trip to Israel and other stops in the Middle East in late December.
