Pentagon chief of staff to step down at the end of June

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen, will step down at the end of June.

Magsamen was a key figure in the January hospitalization scandal involving Austin and members of his team.

Austin confirmed she would resign in a statement, but did not elaborate on why. The Pentagon chief praised Magsamen for “tremendous service over three and a half crucial years” as his chief of staff.

“Kelly has been by my side since the beginning of my term as Secretary of Defense. She was the chief architect of every initiative I launched to defend our nation, care for our people and succeed through teamwork,” said Austin, noting that she was instrumental in efforts to improve the quality of life for service members and confront the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Austin, who has prostate cancer, was hospitalized on January 1, but he and his team only informed President Biden and White House staff about the hospitalization three days later.

According to the Pentagon, Magsamen was ill at the time of Austin’s hospitalization and staffing was sparse, leading to a delay in notification.

The Pentagon conducted an internal review that concluded officials had no ill intent in delaying notification and faced limitations in sharing information due to medical privacy laws.

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Magsamen in January saying the lack of transparency in notifying the White House and other officials and demanding information was “inexcusable.”

The hospital incident led to a public apology from Austin and a congressional hearing.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story