US Secretary of Defense creates controversy after hiding his cancer from Joe Biden

It took more than a month for Joe Biden to be informed of the state of health of the head of the Pentagon, who underwent two hospitalizations.

A cancer diagnosis kept secret and two hospitalizations kept silent. The health problems of the American Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, aged 70, weaken Joe Biden. The latter was only informed on Tuesday January 9 of the state of health of the head of the Pentagon, who learned in early December that he was suffering from prostate cancer.

A White House spokesman, John Kirby, conceded Tuesday that the situation was not “not ideal”while Washington is on the front line of major international crises, in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Operated on December 22 under general anesthesia, then hospitalized again from January 1 due to complications, Lloyd Austin hid his health problems for a while. The President of the United States was informed on January 4 that Lloyd Austin was at the Walter Reed military hospital, near Washington.

Lloyd Austin ‘doing well’, Pentagon says

Joe Biden has not yet sanctioned this communication, nor the head of the Pentagon. But the White House has launched a review of procedures for delegating authority in government departments and agencies. It ensures that the decisions and procedures of the most powerful army in the world have not been compromised.

Lloyd Austin participated in a secure call with Joe Biden on January 1, shortly before he was admitted to the hospital again. In addition, the American strike which killed the leader of a pro-Iranian faction in Baghdad on January 4 was authorized before the head of the Pentagon was hospitalized again, assures the Ministry of Defense.

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According to the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin’s deputy, Kathleen Hicks, acted as Secretary of State for a few days at the beginning of January, making some decisions “routine”. Lloyd Austin remained hospitalized Wednesday and “is doing well”.

As the American presidential election approaches at the end of the year, the Republican opposition has seized the subject, starting with Donald Trump, who is calling for the departure of Lloyd Austin. Conservatives also see in this affair an illustration of the weakness, even the declining lucidity that they attribute to Joe Biden.