Biden in Dark on Defense Secretary’s Hospital Stay for Days
- Lloyd Austin defends his elective procedure at Walter Reed
- President has full confidence in defense secretary: official
Photographer: Franck Robichon/EPA/Bloomberg
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President Joe Biden learned of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization this week several days after the fact and received no advance notice from Pentagon officials, people familiar with the matter said.
The Defense Department announced Austin’s hospitalization at Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday, four days after he was admitted on Jan. 1 and without providing specifics on his ailment or the elective treatment he received.