A statement has been released by the doctors who work for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center concerning the reason for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization in the later part of December, stating it was due to prostate cancer and that he was put in the hospital in first few days of January due to a urinary tract infection. These seem like fairly severe medical situations that the federal government should have been made aware of immediately. The failure to alert the proper authorities about his incapacitation has come under heavy fire with many calling it a dereliction of duty and calling for Austin to step down from his position.
“As part of Secretary Austin’s routinely recommended health screening, he has undergone regular prostate specific antigen (PSA) surveillance,” the doctors went on to say in a statement. “Changes in his laboratory evaluation in early December 2023 identified prostate cancer which required treatment.”
Here’s more on this from the Daily Wire:
On December 22, 2023, Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and “underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure called a prostatectomy to treat and cure prostate cancer.” Austin was discharged from the hospital and went home the following morning.
“On January 1st, 2024, Secretary Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center with complications from the December 22 procedure, including nausea with severe abdominal, hip, and leg pain,” the doctors remarked. “Initial evaluation revealed a urinary tract infection. On January 2, the decision was made to transfer him to the ICU for close monitoring and a higher level of care.”
They said that his prognosis was “excellent” regarding the cancer diagnosis and that his infection has cleared and they anticipate a full recovery.
“During this stay, Secretary Austin never lost consciousness and never underwent general anesthesia,” the doctors added. “Prostate cancer is the most common cause of cancer among American men, and it impacts 1 in every 8 men – and 1 in every 6 African American men – during their lifetime. Despite the frequency of prostate cancer, discussions about screening, treatment, and support are often deeply personal and private ones.”
Why did Austin feel that none of this should be disclosed to the Biden administration? Is there something else he’s trying to hide? Was he afraid they might make him step down due to concerns over his cancer diagnosis, deeming him unfit for duty? Those are legitimate concerns by the government. We’re talking about the head of the Defense Department. A person occupying this position needs to be sharp, healthy, and active.
We absolutely cannot afford for a secretary of defense to essentially go off the radar, which is what Austin did. That puts the country at risk. He must take responsibility for his actions and step down for not following the prescriptive procedures for his medical situation. Failure to do so should result in his removal from the office by other legal means.
We’ll have to wait and see whether or not the right course of action is taken by Austin or the administration in righting this wrong.