Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a press conference Thursday in which he admitted that he did not handle his recent hospitalization correctly and has personally apologized to President Joe Biden.
This week has been Austin’s first week back at the Pentagon since his release from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Jan. 15. Austin, 70, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December and spent two weeks in the hospital following complications from a prostatectomy. His hospitalization was controversially kept secret for days not only from the public but also from the president.
“As a rule, I don’t talk about conversations with my boss, but I can tell you I’ve apologized directly to President Biden, and I’ve told him that I’m deeply sorry for not letting him know immediately that I received a heavy diagnosis and was getting treatment,” Austin said.
“He has responded with the grace and warm heart that anyone who knows President Biden would expect,” Austin continued, “and I’m grateful for his full confidence in me.”
