By EFE
The US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, appeared before the press this Thursday for the first time since he was hospitalized to be treated for prostate cancer and intoned the
mea culpa
about how he handled the situation.
“We didn't handle it well.
I didn't handle it well.
I should have informed the president about my diagnosis.
I should have told my team too.
“I take full responsibility
and apologize to my colleagues and the Americans,” he said.
Austin underwent a prostatectomy on December 22 to treat his cancer and was subsequently discharged, but on the night of January 1 he returned to the medical center due to a urinary tract infection resulting from the operation and was admitted to the intensive care unit. intensive care.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during a visit to Tel Aviv, Israel, on December 18, 2023. Associated Press
His hospitalization generated enormous controversy since neither Austin nor his team informed Biden of what happened until January 4, three days after being admitted, and the Pentagon did not issue a statement until the next day, January 5.
“I want to make it clear that there was no vacuum of authority
,” said Austin, who said he still felt pain in his leg and assured that his recovery “will take time”: “I won't be ready for the Olympic Games, but I'm going to improve,” he joked. .
What happened caused both the Pentagon and the White House to review their respective information protocols to improve transparency and ensure greater knowledge of the situation regarding any eventual momentary transfer of power.
“In the future, if the deputy secretary needs to temporarily assume the duties of my office, she and several White House offices will be notified immediately, including the
White House
Situation Room
and key officials, and will include the reason for this assumption of functions in writing,” he commented.
Austin pledged to be
“as transparent as possible”
on future occasions.
“My first instinct was to keep it private.
I don't think it's news that I'm a pretty private guy.
But I have learned from this experience.
“This kind of work means losing some of the privacy that most of us expect.”