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President Biden learned that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had prostate cancer on Tuesday morning, more than a month after the diagnosis and a day after he was moved out of intensive care, the White House said.
The president found out about his secretary’s diagnosis hours before the Pentagon told the public about it.
“Nobody in the White House knew that Secretary Austin had prostate cancer until this morning and the president was informed immediately after,” National Security spokesperson John Kirby said at the Tuesday afternoon White House press briefing.
“It’s not optimal,” Mr. Kirby said about the delay in telling the president about the reason his defense secretary was absent.
The White House is conducting a new review of its protocols involving Cabinet secretaries in response to Mr. Austin’s hospitalizations.
SEE ALSO: Defense Secretary Austin kept cancer diagnosis secret from White House for weeks
“One of things that we are all going to learn from this is the delegation of authority,” Mr. Kirby said.
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients issued the review of agency protocols to all Cabinet secretaries to be completed by Jan. 12, according to a memo viewed by The Washington Times. The review will include examining the steps for delegating authority, applications for those delegations and procedures for notifying the White House.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to say whether Mr. Biden blames Mr. Austin for failing to inform officials about his hospitalization.
“Secretary Austin put out a statement and took full responsibility for this,” she told reporters.
Mr. Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Medical Center on Jan. 1 after experiencing “severe pain” following a medical procedure on Dec. 22. However, Mr. Biden wasn’t notified of his hospitalization until Jan. 4 and didn’t learn it was for prostate cancer until a week later.
The defense secretary is sixth in the line of presidential succession, and the embarrassing spectacle has sparked ire by House Republicans who said his disappearance was a threat to national security.
Mr. Kirby said the president plans to stick with Mr. Austin for the rest of his term and would not accept his resignation if offered.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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