The secrecy surrounding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization has raised doubts about the Biden administration’s commitment to transparency.
Austin’s decision to keep his hospitalization and illness a secret, even from the White House, has sparked concerns about leadership and transparency within the Pentagon.
The situation has eroded public trust in the military and has raised questions about the administration’s control over its Cabinet. (Trending: Epstein’s Brother Finally Breaks His Silence)
This incident has also been seen as a failure to uphold transparency promises, adding fuel to Biden’s critics.
Despite this, the White House maintains its commitment to transparency and continues to support Austin.
“Heads have to roll,” said former diplomat Brett Bruen.
“This is not a minor miscommunication. It’s about the confidence that our national security structure has in its leadership and that the leadership is acting in a transparent way. There is no plan for anything other than for Secretary Austin to stay in the job,” White House spokesman John Kirby said.
“I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed,” Austin said. “I commit to doing better,” he added.
“This is a baffling episode, and while there is clearly much we still do not know, it is hard to see how any of the new revelations will make this better than what it looks like now: a case of really bad judgment,” Duke University professor Peter Feaver said.
“The apparent decision to keep the White House in the dark is the most baffling aspect of all, since Cabinet officers have a duty to keep their boss informed at all times about their movements.”
“When the command structure of the United States armed forces appears to be broken down and disconnected from the commander in chief, I think people are going to have pretty serious questions about it,” Republican strategist Scott Jennings said.
“There’s a false belief that they can brush this stuff under the rug, they can try to blow past some of the blowback,” Bruen said.
“Those of us who’ve raised questions along the way are often tarred and feathered by folks in the administration because we have been pushing for them to live up to their promises. They, I think, do a better job with the speeches and the slogans than they do when it comes to the actions.”
“From his first day in office, President Biden has made transparency to the American people a centerpiece of the way his administration operates. That has not changed,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.
Biden “continues to have full trust and confidence in the secretary,” she added.
“At a political level, this adds fuel to the fire of Biden critics and allows them to distract attention away from the revelations about more serious derelictions of duty under the previous administration,” Feaver said.
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