Posted 2/1/2024, 4:35:00 PM
Defense Secretary Austin Apologizes for Keeping Cancer Treatment Private
- Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin apologized for secretly being hospitalized for prostate cancer treatment without informing President Biden or the public
- Austin was hospitalized at Walter Reed for 4 days starting Jan. 1st and later admitted for 2 more weeks
- Austin said his instinct was to keep his diagnosis private due to his personality and norms in the Black community
- Critics argued Austin lost the right to medical privacy by taking on the public defense secretary role
- An inspector general review is examining the situation and new policies are being put in place to prevent future notification failures