WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will be in the US Capitol on Thursday to testify before lawmakers about his secret hospitalisation last month to be treated for prostate cancer, which caught everyone in the US government off guard, including the president himself, reported Sputnik.
Austin will provide testimony to the House Armed Services Committee at 10.00 am on Thursday (1500 GMT) regarding the circumstances surrounding his failure to communicate his absence to the US president in a timely manner during his recent hospitalisation.
Austin was initially hospitalised on Jan 1 for complications following a December surgical procedure to treat his prostate cancer. The Defence Department failed then to communicate Austin's hospitalisation to the White House for several days, which eventually triggered an investigation by the Pentagon Inspector-General into the matter.
Austin was briefly hospitalised again earlier this month for close monitoring in connection to a bladder issue.
Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress had lashed out at Austin about his lack of efforts to notify lawmakers and the Biden administration about his hospitalisation, which prompted several bipartisan calls for him to resign.
Following the mass outcry from the public, Austin held a press conference to apologise for failing to notify President Joe Biden and others in a timely manner. The defence chief said he felt embarrassed to announce he has prostate cancer.
The White House has said Biden still has confidence in Austin to serve as defence secretary despite the incident. However, lawmakers have taken issue with the potential national security risks Austin's lack of communication could have instilled.
-- BERNAMA
Bernama
Thu Feb 29 2024
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin looks on. Picture by REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura/File Photo
Pasangan beregu badminton Soon Huat-Shevon kongsi gambar praperkahwinan
Pasangan beregu campuran negara, Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai, hari ini berkongsi gambar praperkahwinan mereka, yang dijangka akan dilangsungkan tidak lama lagi.
Kementerian Perpaduan lancar Inisiatif Harmoni Madani
Kementerian Perpaduan Negara hari ini melancarkan Inisiatif Harmoni Madani.
Kes 1MDB: Najib percaya Blackstone dikawal Arab Saudi, Raja Abdullah - Saksi
Saksi memberitahu Najib percaya bahawa syarikat Blackstone Asia Real Estate Partners dikawal oleh kerajaan Arab Saudi dan Raja Arab Saudi.
Apple dalam perbincangan guna teknologi OpenAI dalam iOS 18 - Laporan
iOS 18 akan membawakan perubahan paling besar untuk sistem operasi iPhone tahun ini dan integrasi sistem AI akan akhirnya didedahkan.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: BN pamer komitmen tinggi pastikan kemenangan calon - Loke
BN menunjukkan komitmen tinggi dalam memastikan kemenangan calon PH, pada PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu.
Empat maut, dua pacuan empat roda bertembung
Empat individu maut dalam kemalangan melibatkan dua pacuan empat roda di Kilometer 78, Jalan Kota Bharu-Gua Musang tengah malam tadi.
Uqasha Senrose selamat bersalin, beri nama anak Uqaira
Pelakon Uqasha Senrose mengumumkan telah selamat melahirkan puteri sulungnya pada awal pagi Sabtu.
Thomas Cup: Permulaan cemerlang buat Malaysia
Malaysia bermula cemerlang pada perlawanan pembukaan Piala Thomas 2024, dengan menewaskan Hong Kong 5-0 hari ini.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Proses penamaan calon lancar - Polis Selangor
Proses penamaan calon bagi PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu hari ini berjalan lancar tanpa sebarang insiden tidak diingini.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Pembangunan anak muda, wanita menjadi fokus Pang
Agenda pembangunan anak muda dan wanita akan menjadi fokus utama calon PH Pang Sock Tao, pada PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu.