Jan 8, 2024 at 3:44 PM Update: 28 minutes ago
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will not be fired, a White House official said on Monday. Austin was in the hospital last week while President Joe Biden was unaware.
According to the White House, Biden has no plans to fire his Secretary of Defense, despite the uncertainty about Austin’s hospital stay.
The minister was admitted last Monday for an unnecessary procedure. Austin then had to stay in the hospital until Saturday because complications occurred. According to American media, he was in intensive care. The White House cannot confirm the latter.
As Secretary of Defense, the seventy-year-old Austin holds a key position in the command structure of the American armed forces. After President Biden, who is commander in chief, he is the second man in the hierarchy. He is the link between the military top and the president.
That role could be transferred to a deputy minister, but it is unclear whether that has happened. News site Politico reported on Saturday that Biden only learned on Thursday that his minister was in the hospital.
“I recognize that I could have done a better job of ensuring the public is informed,” Austin wrote in a brief statement on Saturday. “I promise to get better.”
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Defense Secretary US was in hospital for days without the president knowing
Beeld: Getty Images
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2024-01-08 14:44:22
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