“I admit that was a mistake,” Austin said at Pentagon press conference about not informing President Biden about his hospitalization last month until days later.

“I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis,” he continued. “I should have also told my team and the American public, and I take full responsibility. I apologize to my teammates and to the American people.”

Austin also said he did not direct staff to conceal his hospitalization.

[Austin says he won’t resign over his AWOL adventure, and Biden isn’t asking for a resignation either. Apparently, consequences are only for the rank and file. Austin tried spinning it as a ‘privacy’ sensitivity for black men, but that’s nonsense. Austin wouldn’t have had to discuss this publicly at all had he kept the chain of command informed about his status. — Ed]