Biden said Austin showed lapse in judgment but maintains his confidence
President Joe Biden on Friday said he maintains confidence in Lloyd Austin, even as he described his defense secretary’s decision to not reveal his hospitalization as a lapse in judgment.
Biden’s remarks were his first after it was revealed that Austin had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and hospitalized with a urinary tract infection, unbeknownst to virtually everyone in the government, including the president.
The two men had talked last weekend by phone but Austin did not reveal his diagnosis at the time. Biden had told his aides he would not accept a resignation from Austin even if he offered one. But he also instructed his chief of staff, Jeff Zients, to inform Cabinet members that they needed to lay out their delegation of authority protocols so that a similar situation would not happen again.
Biden was at a coffee shop in the midst of a swing Friday through Pennsylvania when he was asked if he had confidence in Austin.
"I do,” he responded, according to the media pool report. He was then asked if it was a lapse in judgment for Austin to not inform him.
"Yes,” he said.