First, we wish Secretary Austin a speedy recovery.
But the internal lapse in communication and the exacerbation of the situation by the attempted coverup is grounds for a Molière Citation.
It’s a serious national security lapse to have the Secretary of Defense hospitalized (perhaps even anesthetized, as we still are being kept in the dark about his condition) without even notifying his deputy, much less the Commander-in-Chief.
But it’s equally egregious for the White House to attempt to sweep it all under the rug and keep Austin in the chain of command with no consequences — as Biden reportedly plans to do.
If memory serves, it wasn’t the Watergate break-in that led to Nixon’s resignation, but the cover-up.
Poor John Kirby is collateral damage, having to temporize once again.
Trust takes long experience to establish, but only a moment to destroy.
This dismal state of affairs reflects poorly on the entire Biden administration.
Addendum: This Transparency Lapse has earned the Administration the Opacity Award for their Opaque Approach to Transparency. A special Translucence Award goes to the White House Press Office for obfuscation of obvious events, words, and deeds actually known only to the public writ large that the podium holder thinks we don’t!