US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has been taken to hospital in Washington. -AP
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin has been taken to a Washington, D.C. hospital for treatment of "symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue", a Pentagon spokesman says.
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Austin, 70, was retaining his duties during his hospitalisation, Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder said in a written statement.
Austin was criticised last month for failing to disclose a cancer diagnosis and subsequent hospitalisations in December and January, including to President Joe Biden. He apologised during a televised news briefing.
He is scheduled to testify before Congress on February 29 about the situation.
The incident triggered a political uproar. Some prominent Republicans, including former president Donald Trump, called for Austin to be removed from his job. Austin is a retired four-star general who led forces in Iraq and is America's first Black defence secretary.
Biden, a Democrat, has said he has confidence in Austin despite what the president agreed was a lapse in judgment.
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