Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin hospitalized for bladder situation

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was taken again to the hospital on Sunday afternoon by his safety element for signs associated to a attainable bladder situation, and later transferred his tasks to his prime deputy, the Pentagon introduced.

Austin is battling prostate most cancers and has been recovering from surgical procedure over the previous few months.

The Pentagon stated that Austin initially had retained all of the tasks of his publish when he entered the hospital.

On his approach to Walter Reed Nationwide Army Medical Middle, Austin introduced alongside all “unclassified and classified communication systems necessary to perform his duties,” based on Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.

However the Pentagon hours later issued an replace, saying that Austin had transferred his duties to Deputy Protection Secretary Kathleen Hicks simply earlier than 5 p.m. ET.

“The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the White House, and Congress have been notified,” the Pentagon stated. “We will provide additional updates on Secretary Austin’s condition as soon as possible.”

The Pentagon’s disclosure of Austin’s hospitalization and its replace averted a repeat of a latest state of affairs the place Austin and his workers failed to tell prime authorities officers that Austin was within the intensive care unit for problems associated to his most cancers surgical procedure.

In January, Austin got here below fireplace after the Pentagon waited days to tell the White Home and the general public that he was within the ICU for unknown causes on the time.

Docs at Walter Reed later disclosed the prostate most cancers analysis and launched particulars of his hospital visits.

Nonetheless, a number of lawmakers referred to as on Austin to resign for the shortage of transparency, although the White Home rebuked these calls for and doubled down on its help for the Protection Secretary as he battles most cancers.

Austin’s re-hospitalization on Sunday comes simply over per week after he publicly apologized for hiding that earlier hospital go to and pledged to be extra clear.

“We did not handle this right. And I did not handle this right. I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis. I should have also told my team and the American public, and I take full responsibility,” Austin stated at a Pentagon briefing.