Defense Secretary on hospitalization: ‘I did not handle this right’

(NewsNation) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin admitted at a press conference Thursday that he should have handled the public disclosure of his prostate cancer treatment better.

“I want to be crystal clear. We did not handle this right and I did not handle this right. I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis,” Austin told reporters Thursday. “I should have also told my team and the American public. I take full responsibility.”

This was Austin’s first media briefing since being hospitalized and treated for prostate cancer last year.

“The news shook me,” he said. “I know that it shakes so many others, especially in the Black community. It was a gut punch, and frankly, my first instinct was to keep it private.”

Austin,70, said he never directed anyone on his staff not to tell the White House about his being admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Dec. 22, 2023. While there, he underwent a “minimally invasive” surgical procedure. Although he was able to return home the next morning and his prognosis was “excellent,” Austin returned to the hospital following complications from the procedure.

On Monday, Austin went back to work after nearly a month.

“At this important time, I’m glad to be back at the Pentagon,” Austin said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “I feel good. I’m recovering well, but still recovering, and I appreciate all the good wishes that I have received thus far.”

However, the circumstances surrounding his hospitalization have come under scrutiny. U.S. President Joe Biden and other top administration officials weren’t informed for days that Austin had been hospitalized. The White House wasn’t told until Jan.4 that Austin was in the hospital, and it was only a few days later that Biden learned about his cancer diagnosis.

A Pentagon spokesman said this was because a key staffer was out sick with the flu.

When asked about why it took so long for the public to be notified, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said that discussions on prostate cancer screening, treatment and support “are often deeply personal and private ones.”

However, Austin acknowledged Thursday that although he’s a “pretty private guy” and doesn’t like to burden others with his problems, his position means losing some privacy others might expect.

Biden has previously said that it was a lapse in judgment for Austin to not tell him about his hospital stay but still expressed confidence in his leadership.

Since all this happened, Austin said, there have been new procedures put in place to prevent future lapses in notification. There’s also an ongoing internal Pentagon review and inspector general review into his department’s notification procedures. Some members of Congress have called for hearings on the matter.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.