Media, Dems, Biden officials rip Defense Department for hiding Sec. Austin’s ICU stay: 'Heads have to roll'

Media members, Democratic Party leaders and government officials have expressed serious concern in recent days over the Pentagon not alerting the White House and other government organizations that U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been in an ICU bed for several days.

It was announced Tuesday that Austin has prostate cancer and had been hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center following treatment.

CNN reporters, DOD officials and lawmakers, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., all weighed in on the delay to alert the rest of the government about Austin’s predicament, noting the situation "could have been handled better," and that "heads have to roll" over at the Pentagon.

DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN HAD SURGERY TO TREAT PROSTATE CANCER DURING SECRET HOSPITAL VISIT

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his team have been criticized after it was reported that the White House and Pentagon officials were not made aware of his hospitalization at Walter Reed for severale days. (Jung Yeon-Je/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Controversy ensued after the Pentagon publicly revealed last Friday that Austin had been in the hospital since that Monday. A Politico report revealed that the highest levels in the White House and top Pentagon officials were not briefed on the defense secretary’s situation until that Thursday. 

That not even President Biden or top military officials heard about Austin’s ordeal for three whole days irked Washington officials and members of the media class.

CNN media reporter Oren Liebermann ripped the Pentagon for the debacle, calling it "unacceptable." He wrote on X, "The Pentagon waited four days to disclose that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was admitted to the hospital on New Year's Day. That delay is unacceptable, especially given his crucial position in the national security establishment and world events."

Liebermann then trashed the Biden administration for having a Cabinet member that engaged in such behavior. He added, "This is an administration that talked a big game about transparency, and it failed this test. This is a member of the cabinet and the leader of the US military. He was hospitalized at a time with critical global national security issues. And yet the public knew nothing." 

USA Today reporters Michael Collins and Tom Vanden Brook published an article Monday reporting on how Austin and his handlers’ behavior in this incident "undercuts" Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign promise that he "would bring transparency and trust back to government."

The report added, "For Biden, the timing of Austin’s secrecy is particularly problematic. Biden entered the White House three years ago promising not only transparency and truth in government but pledging that his administration would avoid the chaos of former President Donald Trump’s administration."

The Washington Post editorial board took issue with Austin’s situation, publishing a column Monday evening that declared the government official "owes the public more answers about his health."

"We wish Mr. Austin a full and swift recovery regardless of his precise condition. We would also appreciate more information. So far, there has been no plausible explanation for the lack of transparency with which all of the above proceeded in real time," the board wrote.

DEFENSE SECRETARY AUSTIN HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING SURGERY COMPLICATIONS

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It also noted that the fact that "no one in the White House" noticed Austin’s absence amid the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East "is another riddle," and suggested he "is not as central to national security decision-making as his counterparts."

Former CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr said the lack of disclosure was a "huge strategic failure."

"As of tonight I do not see a way forward for believing the Pentagon tells the truth on anything," she wrote on X.

Democratic lawmakers couldn’t hold their tongues about this absence either. Former House Speaker Pelosi claimed in a recent interview with MSNBC host Jen Psaki that the U.S. government’s "chain of command must be respected" and that Biden should have been alerted to Austin’s predicament.

"I do think this could have been handled much better," Pelosi said, after expressing concern over Austin’s health. 

In a statement released this week, House Armed Services Committee ranking member Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., joined Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., in saying, "While we wish Sec. Austin a speedy recovery, we are concerned with how the disclosure of the Secretary’s condition was handled."

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin remains hospitalized a week after suffering severe pain following an elective procedure, the Pentagon said Monday. (Ian Waldie/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The joint statement added, "Several questions remain unanswered including what the medical procedure and resulting complications were, what the Secretary’s current health status is, how and when the delegation of the Secretary’s responsibilities were made, and the reason for the delay in notification to the President and Congress."

And multiple government officials, including former diplomat and Obama official Brett Bruen, have spoken out against the delay.

Bruen told reporters that "heads have to roll" in response to this debacle, adding, "This is not a minor miscommunication. It’s about the confidence that our national security structure has in its leadership and that the leadership is acting in a transparent way."

An anonymous senior DOD official said the situation was "an exercise in unforced errors," USA Today reported. 

Four other anonymous defense officials told Politico they believe that Austin’s job is "secure," however they acknowledged the incident as a "rare blemish in an otherwise strong tenure." Another anonymous official said someone would likely be fired in the fallout: "Someone's head has to roll."

Fox News' Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

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