Biden not informed of Secretary Austin’s cancer diagnosis until weeks after, same day as public: ‘Not optimal’

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President Biden first learned of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s prostate cancer on Tuesday, which was the same day as the public and a month after the diagnosis.

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center revealed Tuesday that Austin was diagnosed with prostate cancer in early December and underwent a prostatectomy on Dec. 22.

Per Walter Reed, the 70-year-old recovered uneventfully from his surgery and he returned the following morning. His prostate cancer was detected early and the prognosis is "excellent," the hospital said.

During his hospitalization, Austin transferred authority to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks and did not inform the White House. The Defense Department has for days said Austin was initially at Walter Reed for an "elective medical procedure" and not prostate surgery.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Tuesday that Biden was not informed of Austin’s hospitalization until last Thursday and only learned of the cancer diagnosis on Tuesday.

Asked whether Biden believed the time-lapse was acceptable, Kirby said it was "not optimal."

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"For a situation like this to go as long as it did without the commander in chief knowing about it or the national security adviser knowing about it or, frankly,