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President Joe Biden has no immediate plans to fire U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following a lack of communication regarding a recent hospital stay, sources tell Newsweek.
Austin was admitted to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on January 1, Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said on Friday. Austin suffered "complications following a recent elective medical procedure," adding that Austin, as of that day, remained hospitalized "but is recovering well and in good spirits."
The situation led to questions about Austin's relationship with the White House and President Biden and whether his job was potentially in jeopardy due to the clandestine nature of his hospitalization combined with the wars requiring attention in Ukraine and Gaza. The hospital stay was not relayed to the president until Thursday, a U.S. official told Reuters.
A Biden administration official told CBS News that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and the White House's National Security Council were told on Thursday morning.
"The president isn't considering replacing Secretary Austin," a White House official familiar with the situation who wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly told Newsweek on Monday. "The president still has complete trust and confidence in Secretary Austin. He's looking forward to him being back at the Pentagon."
A Pentagon spokesperson told Newsweek that an in-person briefing would occur on Monday to discuss the situation further. A State Department spokesperson deferred comment to the White House and Pentagon.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday that the White House will review the "process and procedure," according to CNN. He added that if changes are required following that review, the White House would implement them.
"We will obviously, I think, as you might expect, we'll take a look at the process and procedure here and try to learn from this experience," said Kirby, who added that Austin's health is currently the main priority.
He added: "I think there's an expectation that when a Cabinet official becomes hospitalized...that will be notified up the chain of command. There is that expectation."
The Pentagon did not make Austin's absence public due to medical and privacy considerations, the Defense Department said on Saturday.
"I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed," Austin said in a statement. "I commit to doing better." Austin added that it was "important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure."
Austin reportedly received operational updates and provided necessary guidance to his team, Ryder said at Friday's briefing. He has full access to required secure communications capabilities and continues to monitor the Pentagon's daily operations worldwide.
Former President Donald Trump was among those who chastised the Pentagon and Austin, writing in a Truth Social post that Austin acted with "improper professional conduction and dereliction of duty."
Update 01/08/24, 1:29 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
About the writer
Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek investigative reporter based in Michigan. His focus includes U.S. and international politics and policies, immigration, ... Read more