The House Armed Services Committee has called Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to come before Congress and testify about his decision to wait several days before notifying the White House and Congress about a medical episode that rendered him incapable of performing his duties.
Mr. Austin had recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer and originally underwent surgery on Dec. 22 to “treat and cure” it, according to the Department of Defense. Mr. Austin was discharged the day after his Dec. 22 surgery but was rehospitalized on Jan. 1 after experiencing severe pain. Mr. Austin’s chief of staff notified the deputy secretary of defense and the White House national security adviser of his hospitalization on the afternoon of Jan. 4. Members of Congress weren’t notified of the situation until the afternoon of Jan. 5.
