[GlobeNewswire] “Biden didn’t learn that the defence secretary had prostate cancer until Tuesday.” According to the latest news from Reuters, the White House said that U.S. President Joe Biden did not learn that U.S. Secretary of Defence Stephen Austin was suffering from prostate cancer until the 9th of local time. The report said, and just minutes before the White House statement, Austin’s cancer has just been publicly disclosed.
According to the report, John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council of the White House, revealed on 9 September that “Biden was not informed of Secretary Austin’s hospitalisation until last Thursday. It wasn’t until this morning that he was told the reason for Austin’s hospitalisation was prostate cancer.”
Reuters said Austin suffered complications following treatment for prostate cancer on December 22 last year, including discomfort caused by severe pain in his abdomen, hips and legs, and was taken by ambulance to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in the United States on January 1 this year. After being diagnosed with a urinary tract infection, Austin was then moved to the intensive care unit on 2 January.
The report mentioned that according to a statement released by Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre on the same day, the hospital said it was optimistic about the outlook for Austin’s condition, but that recovery could take time. “His infection has cleared. He will continue to recover and we anticipate a full recovery, although it may be a slow process.”
The “US defence secretary Austin’s concealment of hospitalisation” has been festering for days. According to the U.S. “Washington Post”, the Associated Press and a number of other media previously reported, the White House and the Pentagon local time on the 8th both said that they would review why U.S. President Joe Biden and other senior officials were not informed in a timely manner of the news of the hospitalisation of Defense Secretary Austin. According to the report, according to a Pentagon spokesman: a key staff member was delayed in notification due to flu. While voices of recrimination are rising, US President Joe Biden is still supporting Austin. Reuters quoted a White House official as saying on the 9th that Biden still has “full confidence” in his Pentagon chief and is not considering firing him.
