Lloyd Austin was hospitalized after 'experiencing severe pain,' Pentagon says

President Joe Biden was exasperated at not more quickly being informed of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's ongoing hospitalization — which was only publicly revealed late last week after several days — a U.S. official tells ABC News as the Pentagon is providing some new details about Austin's health issues.

The U.S. official said that there will be a review of the unusual way in which Austin's medical treatment was disclosed and someone could lose their job.

The White House is publicly standing by Austin, with one administration official telling ABC News on Sunday that Biden «has full confidence in Secretary Austin» and is «looking forward to him being back at the Pentagon.»

The president and Austin also spoke Saturday evening and had what the White House official called a «warm conversation.»

However, the U.S. official said White House aides were angered at the lack of information about Austin being hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. (The White House did not have further comment for this story.)

The frustration comes as another U.S. official confirmed to ABC News on Saturday that the White House did not learn about Austin's hospitalization until Thursday night — three days after he was hospitalized on the night of New Year's Day for complications resulting from what was characterized as «a minor, elective procedure.»

Congress was first notified of Austin's hospitalization on Friday afternoon, shortly before it was made public in a Pentagon news release, ABC News reported on Saturday.

The timeline of information being shared about the health problems of the country's top defense official, who is 70 years old, has raised questions inside and outside of the government.

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