Lawmakers demand answers after Defense Secretary Austin delayed disclosing his hospitalization

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has come under scrutiny from a growing number of congressional lawmakers who are demanding answers after the Defense Department delayed informing administration officials, Congress and the public about his hospitalization.

The Pentagon waited three days after Austin arrived at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to inform senior officials in the White House’s National Security Council of Austin’s condition, including that he had spent four days in the intensive care unit, a U.S. official previously confirmed to NBC News.

Austin’s deputy, Kathleen Hicks, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico at the time, learned about his condition two days after she took over her duties, a senior defense official told NBC News on Sunday.

On Monday, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters that he was informed about Austin's hospitalization on Jan. 2, a day after he was admitted and two days before President Joe Biden and national security adviser Jake Sullivan were told. Ryder briefed reporters on camera on Thursday and did not disclose the secretary's continued hospitalization. He did not provide further details — including whether he was directed not to tell anyone.

Ryder also said Monday that the Pentagon's lawyers are reviewing whether any laws were broken during this failure to notify U.S. leaders and Congress.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, of New York, the No. 4 Republican in the House, on Monday called on Austin to resign. She decried the Pentagon’s move to wait several days to notify administration officials about Austin’s hospitalization as a “shocking and absolutely unacceptable” decision.

“This concerning lack of transparency exemplifies a shocking lack of judgment and a