Senior White House officials pushed the Pentagon to release a statement on Austin’s hospitalization

CNN —

Senior White House officials pushed the Pentagon to release a statement on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization after learning of his status on Thursday, two administration officials told CNN.

White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and national security adviser Jake Sullivan called Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, on Thursday urging the department to release a public disclosure statement as soon as possible, the officials said.

Sullivan learned about Austin’s hospitalization shortly before he and deputy national security adviser Jon Finer were set to appear with Austin at an event at Joint Base Myer on Thursday, one official said.

The Pentagon is reiterating that DoD officials began drafting the public statement as “a logical next step,” seemingly pushing back on reports that the White House pushed defense officials to release a statement.

“On the afternoon of January 4, the Deputy Secretary and Secretary of Defense’s Chief of Staff immediately engaged on the drafting of a public statement and congressional outreach. This was a logical next step and part of a coordinated effort that involved multiple stakeholders, to include the White House,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement to CNN on Wednesday.

Politico was the first to report on the White House’s push for a statement.

Austin is being treated for prostate cancerand suffered complications that led to him being taken to the hospital on New Year’s Day, according to a statement on Tuesday from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

The statement revealed that the cancer was discovered in early December. He underwent a “minimally invasive surgical procedure” on December 22 called a prostatectomy