An aide who called 911 requesting an ambulance to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s house on New Year’s Day asked that the ambulance be discreet and “not show up with lights and sirens.”
“We’re trying to remain a little subtle,” the aide told the dispatcher in a recording of the call obtained by CNN through the Freedom of Information Act from the Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications.
“Yeah, I understand,” the dispatcher responded to the aide, whose name is redacted from the audio. The dispatcher explained that ambulances typically turn off their lights and sirens on residential streets.
The aide asked that Austin — whose name is also redacted from the call — be taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
The audio, first reported on by The Daily Beast, provides new insight into the defense secretary’s physical state at the start of what became a two-week stay at Walter Reed for Austin, who was experiencing complications from a December 22 procedure to treat prostate cancer.
Austin, the aide said, was not experiencing chest pain or feeling like he was going to pass out. He was awake and oriented, according to the audio.
While Austin and the aide’s names are redacted from the audio, the street name of the partially redacted address provided to the dispatcher matches Austin’s address.
While Austin was admitted to the hospital on January 1 — and the intensive care unit on January 2 — the public did not know about his health complications until January 5. It was later discovered that the White House, including President Joe Biden, had not been notified until January 4. Congress was not notified until January 5. The revelation has raised numerous questions about Austin’s compliance with notification requirements and transparency in the Pentagon.
…
Read the full article here