Americans were shocked to learn that the Secretary of Defense was admitted to the hospital at the start of the year. To make matters worse, he did not tell the president or top officials of his stay.

We later learned he was being treated for issues that arose from prostate cancer surgery.

Plenty of people commented on the fact that the top Pentagon official hid this issue from the White House and the country. Now, experts are suggesting he could be in big trouble.

From The Post Millennial:
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin might have broken the law by neglecting to inform other officials about his absence when he had been hospitalized due to complications from prostate cancer surgery, according to a new report…

A report released shortly after Austin’s unexpected absence indicated that the Biden administration was “embarrassed” by the fiasco as it was unaware of its occurrence until days after it had taken place.

Two legal experts have suggested Austin might have violated the law by not telling administration officials of his absence. U.S. law requires executive agencies to report top-level absences to Congress, including who is serving in an acting capacity.

Yet for a week or so, not only did Congress not know about Austin’s absence, but not even the White House knew. The confusion has given rise to criticisms about the Biden administration’s apparent lack of leadership and direction.

The Pentagon has reportedly opened a probe into the incident. This comes as a Republican congressman filed articles of impeachment against Secretary Austin. At the time of this writing, Austin remains at Walter Reed Medical Center.

Critics have hammered the Biden administration’s top officials. Some of them have been absent during critical issues. Others appear unqualified for their jobs. Republicans have even speculated on who is running the White House, given the many signs of Biden’s decline.

It might be par for the course that Biden’s top DOD official goes missing, without notification.

Key Takeaways:

• Legal experts suggest that Secretary of Defense Austin might have violated the law.
• U.S. law requires agencies to report top-level absences to Congress, but nobody knew about Austin’s hospitalization.
• Austin had previously received prostate cancer surgery and was admitted for a related issue.

Source: The Post Millennial