The aide who called 911 for an ambulance for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asked that the ambulance trip be low-key, according to audio obtained by The Epoch Times.
“Can I ask that an ambulance not show up with lights and sirens? We’re trying to remain a little subtle,” the person said on the Jan. 1 call, which was disclosed on Jan. 17.
The dispatcher—in Fairfax County, Virginia—said that operators could partially comply with the request.
“Usually when they turn into a residential neighborhood, they'll turn them off. But they’re required by law to run with them with the main streets—like they’re on Georgetown Pike or Leesburg Pike—primary roads, they have to by law, but I’ve noted that though, in the call,” the dispatcher said.
Defense Department spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, when asked about why the aide asked for subtlety, said in Washington on Jan. 17, “We’re reviewing this.”
“The secretary has taken responsibility in terms of the need for transparency as it relates to his medical care, but beyond that I don’t have any further details,” he said.
Mr. Austin was hospitalized on New Year’s Day for symptoms including severe abdominal pain that manifested about a week after he underwent surgery for prostate cancer, defense officials have said. The hospitalization wasn’t disclosed to the White House until Jan. 4 and not made public until the following day.
“Secretary Austin progressed well throughout his stay and his strength is rebounding,” Dr. John Maddox and Dr. Gregory Chesnut, Mr. Austin’s doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, said in a joint statement.
Mr. Austin has round-the-clock security and “staff support” because of his position, according to Mr. Ryder.
The newly disclosed 911 audio, which was first obtained by the Daily Beast, showed that Mr. Austin was retrieved from his home by an ambulance because of an emergency. The primary complaint was redacted. Fairfax County officials said they cut out parts of the audio that included personal identifying information, under state law.
The 911 call was made at 7:11 p.m.
The aide who called 911 asked whether it was possible to take Mr. Austin to Walter Reed, which is located in neighboring Maryland. The dispatcher said that request should be relayed to the emergency medical technicians when they arrived.
“Let them know that when they get there. Like I said, I’m noting all this in the call, but just let them know that when they get there,” the dispatcher said.
The aide, who wasn’t identified in the redacted version of the call but gave the dispatcher the number to his government phone, said that Mr. Austin wasn’t feeling chest pain and hadn’t passed out.
“He’s alert and oriented. He’s not confused or anything like that. Correct?” the dispatcher asked.
“Correct,” the aide said.
The person asked for the estimated time of arrival. That depended on traffic and road conditions, the dispatcher said.
Steps Taken
Mr. Austin said in a Jan. 6 statement that he understood concerns about transparency. “And I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed,” he said.“I commit to doing better.”
Military officials said later in January that there will be a review regarding Mr. Austin’s hospitalization and his transfer of powers to Kathleen Hicks, the deputy defense secretary. The review’s purpose is “to better understand the facts surrounding these events and to recommend appropriate processes going forward,” officials said in a memorandum.
The Pentagon’s inspector general and Congress have also started investigations into the secrecy surrounding Mr. Austin’s hospitalization.
The inspector general is looking into whether policies “are sufficient to ensure timely and appropriate notifications and the effective transition of authorities as may be warranted due to health-based or other unavailability of senior leadership.”
The U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee is seeking a detailed list of actions taken or approved by Mr. Austin during his hospitalization and other information on the hospitalization and related events.
The White House has told Cabinet members to disclose to the White House chief of staff when they can’t perform their duties, in a memorandum issued on the same day administration officials and the public learned why Mr. Austin was hospitalized.
President Joe Biden, who was unaware for days about the hospitalization, told reporters recently that Mr. Austin had a lapse of judgment but that he is still confident in the defense secretary. The White House has said the president wouldn’t accept Mr. Austin’s resignation if it were offered. Some members of Congress have called for Mr. Austin’s resignation, and an impeachment resolution has been introduced in the House of Representatives.
