Former Obama official says Austin and other officials should resign over hiding hospitalization

A former Barack Obama administration official said Monday on CNN that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and several other Biden officials should step down after appearing to hide Austin's serious hospitalization beginning on Jan. 1.

President Joe Biden and Austin's deputy secretary, Kathy Hicks, didn't find out Austin had entered the hospital until about three days later, before it became public on Friday.

Brett Bruen, Obana's onetime director of global engagement, said that not only should Austin resign, but so should his chief of staff and other officials like the Pentagon spokesperson who gave a briefing on Tuesday but didn't mention Austin's hospitalization, although he knew about it.

The White House said Friday that the delay in announcing Austin's hospitalization is that Austin's chief of staff was ill with the flu and not working on Monday when he went into the hospital.

Austin apparently suffered an infection after an elective procedure related to prostate cancer.

It was not well known that he had cancer or any medical problems, and he did not disclose what his elective procedure was back in December.