Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was admitted to the hospital on January 1. The American public was not told of this development until Friday, January 5.

Why was there such a long delay in disclosing that fact? Remember when Joe Biden pledged to have the most transparent administration ever? Good times. Good times. Whatever Biden pledges to do, take the opposite to be the truth.

Secretary Austin was hospitalized on January 1 due to “complications following a recent elective medical procedure.” That is according to Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary. Ryder said that Austin is recuperating but did not give any specific information. He is in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The 70-year-old Austin is “recovering well and is expecting to resume his full duties today.” That is what Ryder announced on Friday.

The Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, had not been capable of fulfilling his duties for five days and the Pentagon said nothing about that. WTH? There was no mention of when Austin is expected to be discharged from the hospital. And the Pentagon did not offer an explanation about the secrecy of his hospitalization.

Lloyd Austin is a big deal in the Biden administration. Biden nominated him as the first black defense secretary in 2021. We know how important it is that boxes are ticked when someone is nominated to serve in this administration. Why are they hiding his medical challenge now? We don’t need to know all the details of his personal medical records but shouldn’t someone clarify what the elective surgery was and what the complications are that he is experiencing now?

The world is on fire and Biden has involved us in the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war. Iran is poking Biden in the eye. Our troops are being attacked daily on military facilities in the Middle East. There are attacks on ships in the region. There is a lot going on that the secretary has to monitor. Is the Biden administration so tone-deaf that it didn’t consider how a delay in disclosing Austin’s condition would land with the public? Apparently so.

Jennifer Griffin, FNC’s Chief National Security Correspondent, noted that this is something that happens in China. Ouch

This is the type of behavior you expect from the Chinese government. https://t.co/e0Zclvnmhw

— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) January 6, 2024

Austin returned from a trip to Israel and other stops in the Middle East in late December. He travels frequently and there has been no mention of health concerns.

Ryder, in a statement, said that Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks had been prepared to exercise the powers of defense secretary if required because of Austin’s medical treatment. In a later email, Ryder said that Austin remained in the hospital and had fully resumed his job responsibilities on Friday evening.

He said that Hicks had “made some routine decisions on Secretary Austin’s behalf” this week.

“Of note, the secretary did not have to affirmatively delegate his duties because by statute, the deputy secretary is automatically authorized to perform the duties of the secretary if he is unable to perform them,” Ryder added.

It may be standard procedure to the Pentagon staff but I think Americans want to know when someone in such a position of power is taken off the field and replaced by a deputy. As I mentioned, especially in times like this. I don’t have a lot of confidence in Austin’s performance but it is the position he is in. Imaginations can run wild. The truth delivered by those involved is always the best option.

This is the press release from the Department of Defense:

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following statement on Secretary of Defense Austin:

On the evening of January 1, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for complications following a recent elective medical procedure. He is recovering well and is expecting to resume his full duties today. At all times, the Deputy Secretary of Defense was prepared to act for and exercise the powers of the Secretary, if required.

So, Austin is working from his hospital bed? An official said that he had been “alert” Thursday when U.S. forces carried out the strike on Iraq. The official also noted that Austin and Biden had previously authorized the operation. YMMV, but I fail to see how Austin could be lucid enough to authorize such a military action if he may not have been “alert” all week. Something sounds off here.

The Pentagon Press Association is frustrated about being shut out of such important information.

The Pentagon Press Association, an organization representing media covering the Defense Department, expressed frustration about the department’s “failure to notify the public and the media” about the hospitalization, and requested a meeting with Pentagon leaders to discuss the department’s handling of the matter.

“The fact that he has been at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for … days and the Pentagon is only now alerting the public late on a Friday evening is an outrage,” the group said in a letter to Ryder and Chris Meagher, another official overseeing Pentagon public affairs.

The press association said that the public has a right to know when Cabinet members are hospitalized, under anesthesia or delegate their duties as the result of a medical procedure. “This has been the practice even up to the president’s level,” the letter said. “As the nation’s top defense leader, Secretary Austin has no claim to privacy in this situation.”

To add a little more intrigue to the disclosure of Austin’s hospitalization, Ryder justified the delay as “an evolving situation.” He said there were a “number of factors, including medical and personal privacy issues.” That isn’t exactly a statement that inspires confidence. It makes Austin’s condition sound more serious than is being disclosed.

So much for transparency, eh? The man has a right to privacy but with people in top government positions, transparency is essential to maintain public confidence.

NBC: "Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin has been hospitalized since New Year's Day," but the Biden admin didn't disclose it until tonight — and "refuses to say how serious his condition was or why he was not able to perform his duties" pic.twitter.com/vLVAPLz6un

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 6, 2024

** UPDATE ** I’ve come across a tweet that gives an update to this story. It’s disturbing. It says Austin was/is in Intensive Care. His deputy that assumed power was on vacation in Puerto Rico and didn’t return. Members of Congress had not been notified until the announcement on Friday. This is all very troubling.

Despite the U.S. Department of Defense claiming yesterday in a Statement that while Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin was Hospitalized beginning on Monday he was still able to “Act using his Powers as Secretary”, it has now been Revealed that he had been in the Intensive Care… pic.twitter.com/DaqUfY4kEr

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 6, 2024

.