On December 22, Lloyd Austin, 70, was operated on under general anesthesia for prostate cancer without warning the White House and his deputy secretary.
When a medical secret turns into a political scandal. The hidden hospitalization of the Secretary of State for Defense (the Minister of the Armed Forces in the United States) sparks controversy across the Atlantic, embarrassing the government of Joe Biden.
On December 22, Lloyd Austin, 70, underwent surgery for prostate cancer without having notified either the White House or his deputy secretary of Defense.
An apparent breach of government protocol even if the minister left the hospital the day after his operation. Problem: on January 1, after a videoconference with the White House on the situation in the Middle East, Lloyd Austin felt acute pain, caused by a urinary tract infection. An ambulance had to take him back to the hospital. It was not until the next day, January 2, that several advisors to the Secretary of Defense discovered where their boss was. Even the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, General Charles Brown, was apparently unaware of the minister’s health.
Although doctors say Lloyd Austin is on the road to recoverythis affair immediately raised countless questions about the lack of transmission of information and the impact of the minister’s diagnosis and its consequences on his ability to exercise his functions.
The secrecy surrounding this hospitalization of the Secretary of Defense has the White House on the defensive especially since after the Trump era, the Joe Biden administration is committed to restoring truth and transparency within the federal government.
The controversy therefore sparked a survey of protocols in place to prevent further hiccups and the Pentagon is reviewing its own procedures following this error.
Senior Republican congressmen stepped into the breach and are now investigating whether the minister ignored legal requirements for informing Congress.
The secretary of state’s lack of information disclosure is seen as an unforced error that undermines Joe Biden’s message.
The attention paid to the medical confidentiality of a senior manager also sheds light on the proper state of health of Joe Biden as the oldest president in history seeks another term and regularly faces questions and concerns from voters about his age.