A key figure in the scandal surrounding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's secret hospitalization is stepping down.
Kelly Magsamen, Austin's chief of staff, announced she is leaving at the end of June. In January, Magsamen was out sick when Austin was hospitalized for prostate cancer.
Austin's staff did not inform the White House of hospitalization for three days, promoting a congressional inquiry. Magsamen sent an email to top DOD civilian and military officials only two hours before the Pentagon publicly announced the secretary's hospitalization.
The Department of Defense notified Congress about the news just 15 minutes before the official statement.
Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chair of the House of Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Magsamen calling the lack of transparency "inexcusable."
Austin later apologized and testified at a congressional hearing. He was effusive in his praise for Magsamen after she announced she was stepping down.
"Kelly has been at my side since the start of my tenure as Secretary of Defense. She has been the chief architect of every initiative I have launched to defend our nation, take care of our people, and succeed through teamwork," Austin said.
Sam Barron ✉
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