Lloyd Austin rushed back to hospital with 'emergent' health concern

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Sunday, just weeks after he was secretly hospitalized in an incident that caused outrage in D.C.

Unlike his last visit to Walter Reed, Austin notified the White House, and he transferred all his functions and duties of the office to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.

The Pentagon issued a statement saying, "Today, at approximately 2:20 pm, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was transported by his security detail to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to be seen for symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue."

Austin was previously hit with a prostate cancer diagnosis, and his latest hospitalization appears to be for an unexpected flare-up in his bladder.

Austin's first hospitalization and failure to notify the White House led to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) launching a congressional investigation into the situation.

Now with Austin back in the hospital, speculation has grown that he may be forced to step aside.