OUT OF THE LOOP

Pentagon Hid Austin’s Hospitalization From Top Officials, Report Says

Even senior White House officials were reportedly kept out of the loop as the U.S.’ top defense official was hospitalized.

The public wasn’t the only one kept in the dark about Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization: The Pentagon kept the defense secretary’s condition a secret from the White House’s National Security Council, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and Congress for days, Politico reported. The Pentagon revealed at 5 p.m. on Friday that Austin had spent nearly the entire new year at Walter Reed Medical Center after surgery complications. The National Security Council was only informed of his hospitalization three full days after he was checked in, according to the report, and Congress was only notified 15 minutes before the public. The Pentagon Press Association blasted the lack of transparency in a letter to Pentagon officials.