Did they try to hide it or did no one even notice he was gone???

Adults are back in charge remember.

I hope he recovers fully, but he absolutely sucks at his job.

And most people don't realize he is STILL in the hospital.

(01-08-2024 01:09 PM)Eagleaidaholic Wrote:  And most people don't realize he is STILL in the hospital.

I just read that earlier.

(01-07-2024 10:01 PM)gdunn Wrote:  Adults are back in charge remember.

I don’t think we know who is in charge or even if anyone actually is.

There is zero excuse or reason for this. I believe he is part of the nuclear process (can't remember what it is called) if something were to happen here.

(01-08-2024 02:07 PM)fsquid Wrote:  There is zero excuse or reason for this. I believe he is part of the nuclear process (can't remember what it is called) if something were to happen here.

And it was reported somewhere that this was for elective surgery. Why nobody knew about this verges on criminal. (Hell, it might be criminal)

Quote:JUST IN - U.S. Defense Secretary was transported by ambulance from his home to hospital on Jan 1 after suffering "severe pain" — Pentagon

Biden admin 'embarrassed' by Defense Sec Lloyd Austin's secret hospitalization: report

Quote:The Biden administration has become "embarrassed" by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's hospitalization which was kept undisclosed for several days before it broke out into the public media sphere.

Sec. Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after complications with an undisclosed surgery and President Joe Biden did not know for days that the secretary had gone AWOL. 10 current and former US officials told Politico that the whole situation has become an "embarrassment" for the administration.

The administration has indicated that the president still has "complete confidence" in Austin to fulfill his responsibilities.

A reporter asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, aboard Air Force One, "Should the American people have confidence in Austin given his lack of transparency and then also, do the American people need to be concerned about a lack of transparency for the President given this lapse."

Jean-Pierre replied telling the reporters to refer to Austin's own statement where he took responsibility and said, "The President ... continues to have confidence in Secretary Austin and as the admiral just stated ... we want to see him back at the Pentagon."

The statement from Austin read: "[I] understand the media concerns about transparency and I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better. But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure."

The procedure that Austin underwent has still not publicly been disclosed. Another reporter asked Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House John Kirby whether or not even Biden knows what surgery Austin had to undergo at the hospital.

Kirby said, "I know that the president had an opportunity to talk to Secretary Austin a few days ago... I don't know the level of the president's personal knowledge of his medical situation."

He then told the reporter that there are "no plans" to remove Austin or to adjust his leadership role in the military.

Although the administration has not talked about the removal of Austin, there have been sources saying that pressure has built from the situation. One Department of Defense told Politico that "[s]omeone’s head has to roll" and a former DOD senior official said, "Someone made the decision not to disclose. That person will likely be gone shortly.”

(01-08-2024 02:03 PM)Was SoMs Eagle Wrote:  

(01-07-2024 10:01 PM)gdunn Wrote:  Adults are back in charge remember.

I don’t think we know who is in charge or even if anyone actually is.

Have you ever just looked at a group of people and realized that the wheel are spinning but the hamsters are dead?

Pentagon Review of SecDef Austin's AWOL and Lies to Be Led by One of the Coverup Leaders

Quote:One of the central figures in the bizarre tale of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin going AWOL for four days and lying about his whereabouts is now leading the inquiry into what went wrong.

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In a memo addressed to the "senior staff of the secretary and deputy secretary of defense," among others, Austin's chief of staff Kelly Magsamen ordered a review of the "relevant fact and circumstances during this period and evaluate the processes and procedures through which the Deputy Secrectary of Defense was notified."

The review should include the following:

A timeline of events and notifications beginning from the hospitalization of the Secretary of Defense on January 1, 2024;

Examination of the current process for determining whether the Secretary is or will be able to perform the functions and duties of his office and how such notifications will be made; and

Recommendations for improving the existing processes for notification of the President of the United States, senior officials within the Department of Defense, and other relevant parties as appropriate.

The memo validates the timeline reported by various sources since Friday. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was notified that Austin was in the ICU on Tuesday. Some duties of the Secretary of Defense were transferred to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks on January 2 without her being informed of the rationale for the delegation of authority. The national security adviser Jake Sullivan was notified on Thursday, as was Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The service chiefs and other senior Pentagon staff were told Friday afternoon about two hours before the public announcement. Congress was notified a mere 15 minutes prior to the public disclosure of Austin's hospitalization.





What made this memo so bizarre is that Austin is basically being given the authority to investigate why he didn't direct someone to notify the president and Congress he was hospitalized and delegate authority to his deputy. The person who probably had that responsibility is the person who signed the memo ordering the investigation. (i say "probably" because, in a sane and functioning headquarters, the chief of staff has that responsibility, but as we're discussing the clusterf*** that is Austin's office, I don't want to unfairly blames someone."

Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Monday that Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, was out with the flu early last week when she learned the news and did not make any moves to notify parties outside Austin’s immediate team until she after returned to work on Thursday.

Think about that. She learned about Austin's hospitalization, but because she was out with the flu, she didn't tell anyone until she returned to work.

This inquiry in not a serious activity.

“We’ll do what’s akin to a hot wash and try to see if processes and procedures need to be changed at all or modified so that we can learn from this,” John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, said when asked whether Biden wanted a review of what happened.

The inquiry of a breach of protocol of this magnitude should have been assigned to the DOD IG. It certainly should not be controlled by anyone in Austin's office, particularly one of the people who is unibrow deep in the coverup.

There are two underlying problems that need to be fixed to prevent this from happening. First is the total lack of discipline inside what passes for the executive branch under Joe Biden. That problem (hopefully) will be fixed by the voters in November. The second problem is that Austin has surrounded himself with people who are loyal to him personally and not loyal to the institution or the nation at all. His office lied about his whereabouts, claiming he was "working from home" when he was in the intensive care unit at Walter Reed National Medical Center. Joe Biden can fix that problem by close-of-business today if he has the guts to do it.

Montana GOP congressman to introduce articles of impeachment against Defense Sec Lloyd Austin after secret hospitalization

Quote:Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) is planning to introduce articles of impeachment against Biden’s Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday.

The move is in response to Austin, 70, the nation's most senior military official, being admitted to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Jan. 1 after suffering "complications following a recent elective medical procedure," according to the Pentagon, but never informing Biden or other top officials in government.

In a statement to Fox News, Rosendale said that Austin, while AWOL for days, "…violated his oath of office" on multiple occasions, including during Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the illegal immigrant crisis at the US southern border, and botching the response to a Chinese spy balloon traversing the continental US in 2023.

According to Rosendale, Austin "failed to uphold his oath of office during the Biden Administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan which led to the death of 13 American soldiers and enabled unvetted migrants to flow into the United States."

The congressman added, "Sec. Austin knowingly put the American people in danger and compromised our national security when he allowed a spy balloon from a foreign adversary to fly over Malmstrom Air Force Base – home to ICBMs – and allowed the Chinese Communist Party to gather intel on American citizens."

The Montana Republican continued, "This dishonesty seems to be a repeated pattern for the Secretary as he once again lied to our military and the American people about his health last week."

On Friday, the Pentagon finally revealed that Austin had been in the hospital since the first of the year following complications from elective surgery. However, he did not inform Biden, White House officials, or top brass at the Pentagon until Thursday.

Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services committees are now attempting to get to the bottom of what was being concealed at the top levels of government from the American public and the media.

Rosendale noted, "Sec. Austin is unfit for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which is why I urge my colleagues to join me in impeaching him to protect the American people."

On Monday, a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre if “…the American people have confidence in Austin given his lack of transparency and then also, do the American people need to be concerned about a lack of transparency for the President given this lapse."

Jean-Pierre referred reporters to Austin's own statement and said, "The President ... continues to have confidence in Secretary Austin and as the admiral just stated ... we want to see him back at the Pentagon."

Wish him well.

No clue why this was kept so secretive...at least from the White House and people who needed to know.

But interested to know if any of the yahoos above wish to amend their comments?

(01-09-2024 02:50 PM)Redwingtom Wrote:  But interested to know if any of the yahoos above wish to amend their comments?

Why?

What type of surgery he had hardly excuses no one being notified. He kinda has a really important position.

Anyone know what’s going on in Israel right now?

(01-09-2024 02:50 PM)Redwingtom Wrote:  Wish him well.

No clue why this was kept so secretive...at least from the White House and people who needed to know.

But interested to know if any of the yahoos above wish to amend their comments?

No, in fact, it makes the non-disclosure even worse due to the diagnosis.