THE US Defense Secretary has apologized for attempting to hide his fight with cancer.
“We did not handle this right. I did not handle this right. I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis. I should have told my team and the American people, and I take full responsibility,” according to Lloyd Austin, Pentagon Chief.
I apologize to my teammates and the American people.
This is the apology of Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin addressed on Friday after undergoing a very long stay in a hospital to receive treatment for his cancer.
Austin admitted that he had tried to keep his disease private as he went for surgery in December, with President Joe Biden himself also being unaware of the situation.
Austin said that there would be policy changes that would require similar cases to be informed to senior officials.
The 70-year-old Pentagon chief was released from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on January 15 after an extended stay at the facility due to complications from his surgery.
Meanwhile, Austin was also asked about the “no lights, no sirens” issue.
To recall, Austin came under fire again due to a leaked 911 call of a federal employee requesting an ambulance for the Pentagon chief.
In the call, placed on January 1st, the federal employee asked the operator for the ambulance to show up without lights and sirens.