US Defence Secretary Austin to testify over secret hospitalisation

WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will be in the US Capitol on Thursday to testify before lawmakers about his secret hospitalisation last month to be treated for prostate cancer, which caught everyone in the US government off guard, including the president himself, reported Sputnik.

Austin will provide testimony to the House Armed Services Committee at 10.00 am on Thursday (1500 GMT) regarding the circumstances surrounding his failure to communicate his absence to the US president in a timely manner during his recent hospitalisation.

Austin was initially hospitalised on Jan 1 for complications following a December surgical procedure to treat his prostate cancer. The Defence Department failed then to communicate Austin's hospitalisation to the White House for several days, which eventually triggered an investigation by the Pentagon Inspector-General into the matter.

Austin was briefly hospitalised again earlier this month for close monitoring in connection to a bladder issue.

Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress had lashed out at Austin about his lack of efforts to notify lawmakers and the Biden administration about his hospitalisation, which prompted several bipartisan calls for him to resign.

Following the mass outcry from the public, Austin held a press conference to apologise for failing to notify President Joe Biden and others in a timely manner. The defence chief said he felt embarrassed to announce he has prostate cancer.

The White House has said Biden still has confidence in Austin to serve as defence secretary despite the incident. However, lawmakers have taken issue with the potential national security risks Austin's lack of communication could have instilled.

-- BERNAMA