(NewsNation) — The White House has insisted the president has no plans to get rid of his secretary of defense, even as top Republicans are calling for him to go.
Still, there are big questions that remain unanswered: At a time when American men and women in uniform are under attack in the Middle East, why did Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin keep his stay in an ICU secret for days? And why didn’t the president and the White House know he was missing?
The Pentagon revealed Sunday that Austin had surgery on Dec. 22 and had gone home the next day.
However, he was admitted to the intensive care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last Monday after he reported severe pain.
He remains in the hospital but has been released from the ICU.
The Pentagon didn’t notify President Joe Biden until Thursday. Then, Congress and the public were notified Friday.
Earlier today, National Security spokesman John Kirby said their main focus now is on the secretary’s health, making sure he is getting all the care he needs.
“He has already resumed all his authorities, he’s already doing all of the functions he would normally do from the hospital,” Kirby said. “We’ll take a look at process and procedure here as you might expect — try and learn from this.”
The whole ordeal has uncovered a stunning lack of transparency when it comes to a cabinet secretary.
But some GOP members are calling for an investigation, while former President Donald Trump and top Republicans in Congress are calling for Austin to either quit or be fired.
Trump also posted on Truth Social, saying: “Failed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin should be fired immediately for improper professional conduct and dereliction of duty. He has been missing for one week, and nobody, including his boss, crooked Joe Biden, had a clue as to where he was or might be.”
In a statement on Sunday, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Austin is “Recovering well and in good spirits.”
In his own statement, Austin acknowledged he was wrong in not being transparent with his health.
“I am very glad to be on the mend and look forward to returning to the Pentagon soon. I also understand the media’s concerns about transparency and I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better,” Austin said.
Austin resumed his duties on Friday and spoke with the White House on Saturday, describing it as a warm conversation and that the president “has full confidence in” him.