Biden would not accept defense secretary's resignation if offered: Report

President Joe Biden would reportedly not accept the resignation of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin should he offer it over his dayslong absence due to a clandestine stay at the hospital, Politico reported, citing "four senior administration officials."

Speculation about Austin's potential resignation and calls for his firing have followed reports that he did not inform the public of his hospitalization. Austin spent much of last week at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center due to complications from surgery.

"Austin’s going nowhere," one source told the outlet.

Austin on Saturday took personal responsibility for not announcing his hospitalization, saying "I recognize I could have done better."

"I also understand the media concerns about transparency and I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better," he added. "But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.