The Biden administration has touted its dedication to transparency from the very beginning, with former press secretary Jen Psaki pledging at her first press conference to "bring transparency and truth back to government." Biden officials throughout the administration have emphasized that claim, with National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stressing in press briefings that "we have been nothing but transparent."
Since Jan. 5, however, the administration's transparency has been under intense scrutiny. News reports revealed that for five days, the Pentagon concealed Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's hospitalization in the intensive care unit at Walter Reed. Not even President Joe Biden knew about his defense secretary's secret hospitalization.
Biden has no plans to fire Austin over the scandal and will not accept the secretary's resignation if offered, Politico reported Monday.