MSNBC's Joe Scarborough seemed perplexed by the Pentagon's comments. Lloyd Austin was not fired for keeping his hospitalization a secret from the administration.

Austin underwent elective surgery to treat pancreatic cancer on December 22nd, but subsequently suffered from “severe pain” due to a urinary tract infection (UTI) and was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) on January 1st. ) was hospitalized. Gen. CQ Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is not in the chain of command, learned of his hospitalization on January 2, but the Department of Defense did not notify key White House leaders until January. There wasn't. 4.

“Let me ask you, how did the secretary survive this situation?” Scarborough asked The Washington Post's David Ignatius.

“Well, I don't think he'll be fired,” Ignatius said.

“Why not?” interjected the MSNBC host.

“Because Joe Biden likes him and basically trusts him,” Ignatius added.

“What other Secretary of Defense could survive this?” Scarborough mused. “He's been down for three or four days. He's joining the nuclear chain of command.” (Related: Brian Kilmeade heartbroken over Lloyd Austin's disappearance)

Ignatius said there has been a “lack of communication” from Austin since President Joe Biden took office. He said he could not imagine Mr. Austin being removed from office in an election year.

White House National Security Council Press Secretary John Kirby said Tuesday that Austin's lack of communication was “not good” and that the administration would learn from this.

A White House official told the Daily Caller that the president has no intention of firing Austin over the incident.

Austin released: statement He apologized for not being transparent about his health.

“I understand the media's concerns about transparency and recognize that we could have ensured that the public was properly informed,” Austin said in a statement. “I am committed to being better. But this is important. This is my medical practice, and I take full responsibility for decisions regarding disclosure.”