White House chief of staff Jeff Zients is launching a review of protocols for cabinet members delegating authority, after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hid an emergency hospitalization from President Joe Biden for several days last week, according to a report.
Axios, which first obtained a memo outlining the parameters of the review, reported Tuesday that the Pentagon is under growing pressure from members of Congress to explain why he hid his January 1 hospitalization from them, Biden, and White House officials.
White House officials insist that Biden has full confidence in Austin, and defense officials say Austin has no plans to resign, but the chief of staff is seeking to ensure the communication and transparency breakdown is never repeated, the report said.
Zients is demanding that all Cabinet secretaries submit their protocols for delegating authority by January 12.
