Austin failed to tell Congress or the White House about his health problems as required, report says

[Tony]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin‘s failure to inform Congress or the White House as required when he was incapacitated due to treatment for prostate cancer and later complications potentially raised “unnecessary” security risks, the Pentagon’s watchdog concluded in a highly critical report released Wednesday.

The inspector general’s report concluded there were no “adverse consequences” resulting from the poor communications about his condition a year ago. But it faulted Austin for keeping his hospitalization secret for days, even from President Joe Biden, and found that his strong desire for privacy likely influenced his staff in deciding not to prod further into his condition.