Biden isn't considering firing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, White House official says
CBSN
President Biden is not considering firing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after he and other Pentagon officials failed to report his hospitalization to the White House for days, a White House official told CBS News.
Lloyd was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last week after suffering complications from an elective surgical procedure, and even Mr. Biden wasn't informed he was in intensive care for days. Austin is recovering, but the Pentagon hasn't disclosed details of Austin's ailment.
The Pentagon said Austin underwent the elective surgery on Dec. 22, and he went home the next day. But on New Year's Day, Austin began to experience severe pain and was admitted to intensive care. He transferred some of his duties to his deputy, Kathleen Hicks, but neither she nor the White House were informed of his hospitalization at the time.
