Staff Reports
President Joe Biden was left in the dark about Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s battle with prostate cancer until very recently, the White House revealed on Tuesday. It turns out that Austin received his cancer diagnosis a month ago, but Biden only found out last Friday that Austin was in the hospital, and then learned this morning that it was due to prostate cancer.
Despite the lack of transparency, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted that Biden still has “full confidence” in Austin. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby pledged that the president intends to keep Austin on as defense secretary until the end of his term, showing a steadfast trust in his leadership.
Biden not informed of Secretary of Defense Austin’s cancer diagnosis 'until this morning' – White House.#VioryVideo #WhiteHouse #WashingtonDC #US pic.twitter.com/tHSBVCL8aq
— Viory Video (@vioryvideo) January 10, 2024
To avoid future surprises of this kind, Kirby and Jean-Pierre announced that there will be new rules for Cabinet members regarding the delegation of authority, requiring written procedures to be submitted. Hopefully, this will prevent any similar “whoops, I forgot to mention I have cancer” situations from happening again.
Austin, who is 70 years old, was diagnosed with prostate cancer last month, but fortunately, it was caught early. He underwent a successful surgery called a prostatectomy to treat and cure the cancer. However, the timing of when Biden was informed about the situation has caused quite a stir, with Rep. Matt Rosendale going so far as to file articles of impeachment against Austin. Despite the drama, DOD officials have made it clear that Austin has no intention of resigning.
It seems like communication within the administration might need some improvement, but at least Austin’s prognosis looks good. And, hey, maybe this whole ordeal will lead to some helpful changes in how things are run in Washington!
