Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, under fire from Capitol Hill for not disclosing to the White House his hospital stay for prostate cancer, told reporters Thursday, "We did not handle this right and I did not handle this right. I should have told the President about my cancer diagnosis. I should have also told my team and the American public, and I take full responsibility."
Austin, in his first Pentagon press briefing in more than a year, appeared thin and walked with a slow gait as he approached the podium and said he was recovering and working with a physical therapist. He said he was a private person and did not want to burden Biden with his diagnosis, saying he later apologized to President Biden and does not plan to resign.
