The deputy who took over some of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin‘s duties last week was kept in the dark about the Cabinet official’s hospitalization for days, according to a new report.
Defense officials told CNN that Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks and other top brass did not learn about what happened to Austin until Thursday, three days after the defense secretary was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
As noted by CNN, the Department of Defense (DoD) said Hicks assumed “certain operational responsibilities that require constant secure communications capabilities” on Tuesday. At the time, Hicks had already begun a vacation in Puerto Rico, and though the report said the deputy planned to return to Washington, D.C., on Friday, she opted to stay put because Austin was expected to resume his duties from the hospital.
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told the news outlet that it is “not uncommon” for the defense secretary to delegate certain responsibilities without explanation, and Hicks made “some routine operational and management decisions” over the past week. Ryder also emphasized that Austin “has no plans to resign.”
The DoD shocked the Pentagon press corps, lawmakers, and even reportedly White House officials on Thursday when it spread the word that Austin had been hospitalized on Monday evening for what the agency has described as “complications following a recent elective medical procedure.” By then, according to the statement, Austin was “recovering well” and expected to resume his full duties.
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