Biden’s injury woes continue as AG Merrick Garland, 71, is set to be out of action while having back operation to fix a narrowing of his vertebrae – just weeks after Lloyd Austin went AWOL while having prostate cancer surgery
The DOJ has announced that Attorney General Merrick Garland will temporarily delegate his duties to the Deputy AG while he undergoes back surgery this weekend.
Garland becomes the second high-profile member of the Biden administration to relinquish his post for medical reasons in as many months.
The announcement comes just as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin returns to work at the Pentagon after a roughly month-long hospitalization that was initially kept secret from the American people and the president.
According to the announcement, Garland will be placed under general anesthesia during the back procedure scheduled for Saturday.
An operation to treat spinal stenosis – a narrowing of spaces in the vertebrae – will take about 90 minutes and will be ‘minimally invasive’, the Justice Department’s public affairs director said.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland will temporarily delegate his duties to the Deputy AG while he undergoes back surgery this weekend
resident Joe Biden receives the Presidential Daily Briefing, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, in the White House Situation Room at the White House in Washington, as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin listens
The attorney general, 71, is expected to return home the same day.
Shortly before, during and for a short time after the proceedings, Garland will delegate his duties to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
He is expected to return to work the week of February 5.
When Garland was scheduled to undergo a routine medical procedure in 2022, his office also informed the public a week in advance, outlining how long he was expected to be away and when he would return to work.
The White House confirmed that DOJ informed them of Garland’s plans to delegate his duties.
DOJ was likely under increased pressure to inform the public after the chaos that erupted when it was revealed that Secretary of Defense Austin was in the hospital due to complications following treatment for prostate cancer, about which he had informed almost no one.
One day after a fatal drone strike targeting the US military in the Middle East, Austin was back at the Pentagon after an absence of nearly a month.
He underwent surgery for the cancer on December 22 and was released, but was admitted to intensive care days later after experiencing extreme pain.
His extended stay caused massive confusion, including among the group of deputies who should have assumed his responsibilities, but who themselves had not been warned of the situation in advance.
Austin’s lack of disclosure prompted two ongoing reviews changes in federal guidelines to ensure that the White House is notified when a cabinet chief is unable to do his job.
On Monday, Austin did not acknowledge the communication error, but said, “I’m feeling good and recovering well, but still recovering, and I appreciate all the good wishes I’ve received so far.”
“At this important time, I am happy to be back at the Pentagon,” Austin said at the start of a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco will assume Garland’s responsibilities for a short time before, during and after his surgery
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where Lloyd Austin stayed for almost a month
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was back at work at the Pentagon for the first time since his surgery in December for a procedure that he had not disclosed in advance to the White House. He attended a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the Pentagon on Monday
Austin made no mention of the work-from-home controversy that angered top officials and prompted changes in federal policy.
He was last at the Pentagon on December 21 and underwent surgery for prostate cancer on December 22 – in an episode where the White House was unaware of his location and publicly called him out for not disclosing the situation.
He underwent emergency surgery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after complications from his previous procedure. That resulted in a two-week hospitalization and revelations that he had not told the White House about his cancer diagnosis or his procedure. He also didn’t tell President Biden or congressional leaders.