The plea deals would have allowed the three Guantanamo Bay prisoners — including alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed — to skirt the death penalty in exchange for pleading guilty to all charges, a development that multiple family members of 9/11 victims objected to strongly in interviews with the Daily Caller News Foundation before Austin reversed course. Austin said that “responsibility for such a decision should rest with [him]” rather than subordinate entities given the significance of the government taking the death penalty off the table for terrorists who allegedly facilitated the murders of nearly 3,000 innocent people.

“For me and a lot of the families, this is a very welcomed change in their position. The biggest fear that I had, and a lot of family members had, was what could happen with these three individuals without a death penalty,” Terry Strada, whose husband died on Sept. 11 just days after the birth of their third child, told the DCNF following Austin’s order. “Wherever they would be held for a life sentence, any administration going forward could possibly use them in a prisoner trade deal. The death penalty is the right thing for them to face because of the crime that they committed. So, I’m very happy to hear that the Pentagon has stepped in and is doing the right thing.”

Prior to Austin’s decision to effectively revoke the plea deals, Strada told the DCNF that the pretrial agreements felt to her like a “betrayal.”

Austin 9-11 Plea Deals Order by Nick Pope on Scribd

In addition to effectively walking back the plea deals, Austin also relieved the Guantanamo Bay court overseer in his order, according to The New York Times.

“We remain hopeful that these animals get the death penalty. I can’t understand why we would ever be negotiating with terrorists,” Brinley Maloney, whose husband was killed on 9/11, told the DCNF in response to Austin’s decision to intervene. “Hopefully, politicians aren’t making this decision because it’s election season. All Americans should stand united in calling for accountability and justice.”

Before Austin stepped in, Maloney told the DCNF that the pretrial deals were a “disappointment to my family and all of the 9/11 families.” Maloney’s daughter, who was a toddler when her father died, told the DCNF that the agreements were “disgusting and incredibly disappointing” before Austin walked them back.

The Biden White House distanced itself from the plea deals before Austin stepped in to revoke them, with a National Security Council spokesperson telling the DCNF on Thursday that it learned of the plea deals after they had been reached and that “the president and the White House played no role in this process.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also told reporters that the White House did not play a role in the plea deal process during a Thursday press briefing.

Republican lawmakers and many in the media lambasted the plea deals as a disgrace prior to Austin’s move to rescind the agreements.

Frank Siller, the founder of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation whose brother — a firefighter — died on 9/11, likened the deals to a “slap in the face” in a statement shared with the DCNF prior to Austin’s decision to effectively put the death penalty back on the table.

“After 9/11, we all said, ‘Never forget.’ Well, we forgot. And not only did we forget, we don’t give a damn anymore,” Don Arias, a retired Air Force lieutenant whose brother was killed on Sept. 11, told The New York Times before Austin stepped in. “A lot of people just want this over with.”

Joe Connor, who lost a cousin on 9/11 decades after his father was killed by Puerto Rican terrorists, also ripped the plea deals before they were revoked.

“You know, after seeing this, like, I’m so afraid we’re not going to get justice for my cousin and all the thousands killed that day and their families. My dad’s terrorists, the FALN, they were released. They were given clemency by the Clintons and Obama,” Connor told Fox News. “It’s all politics, and it concerned me then that we were going to have these guys somehow end up in a U.S. prison. It concerns me that someone’s going to use politics to release these guys.”

The White House did not respond immediately to a request for comment, and the Department of Defense referred the DCNF to Austin’s order when contacted for comment.

(Featured Image Media Credit: Screen Capture/ABC 7 News)

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“If Ukraine falls, I really believe that NATO will be in a fight with Russia,” Austin stated.

What’s more is that this came the very day that Russian President Vladimir Putin warned things could easily spiral toward nuclear war in the scenario that NATO sends troops to Ukraine. Watch:

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says if Ukraine falls he really believes NATO will be in a fight with Russia pic.twitter.com/lmOimGsSAH

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) February 29, 2024

According to the fuller context of the Pentagon chief’s statements, he emphasized that more Washington funding is crucial for Ukraine in order to prevent a situation where “one country can redraw its neighbors’ boundaries and illegitimately take over its sovereign territory.”

“We know that if Putin is successful here, he will not stop. He will continue to take more aggressive actions in the region. And other leaders around the world, other autocrats around the world will look at this and will be encouraged by the fact that this happened and we failed to support a democracy,” he added.

“If you are a Baltic state, you are really worried about whether you are next. They know Putin. They know what he is capable of. And, frankly, if Ukraine falls, I really believe that NATO will be in a fight with Russia,” Austin said.

What is even more alarming about this statement is that everyone now knows that Ukraine forces are in retreat at this very moment, especially after the Russian capture of the city of Avdiivka, and surrounding villages.

Bloomberg on Thursday issued a report predicting total collapse of the Ukrainian front lines by summer, as the headline suggests (Ukraine Sees Risk of Russia Breaking Through Defenses by Summer): “Ukrainian officials are concerned that Russian advances could gain significant momentum by the summer unless their allies can increase the supply of ammunition, according to a person familiar with their analysis,” the report says. According to more from Bloomberg:

Internal assessments of the situation on the battlefield from Kyiv are growing increasingly bleak as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold off Russian attacks while rationing the number of shells they can fire.

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Thursday that mistakes by frontline commanders had compounded the problems facing Ukraine’s defenses around Avdiivka, which was captured by Russian forces this month. Syrskyi said he’d sent in more troops and ammunition to bolster Ukrainian positions.

So the consensus narrative and belated mainstream media admission is that Ukraine’s military is a mere months away from clear defeat, and the top US defense chief just said NATO will go to war with Russia “if Ukraine falls”.

The conflict has reached a dire and perilously unpredictable moment indeed, and clearly the already slim chances of jump-starting serious peace negotiations to end the war are slipping away fast.

As questions swirl over whether Austin deliberately secluded his cancer diagnosis and hospitalization due to complications from the earlier medical procedure, a recording obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation revealed the aide asked the ambulance to avoid attracting attention. An internal review is ongoing into the breakdown in communication following Jan. 1, but the Pentagon on Wednesday could not confirm whether that review would be disclosed to the public.

“Again, as I highlighted, we’re conducting a review. The secretary has publicly come out and taking responsibility in terms of the need to do better — in terms of transparency as it relates to his medical treatment. So I’ll just leave it there,” Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a briefing Wednesday afternoon.

Recording of the call, which took place at 7:11 p.m. on Jan. 1 and was obtained by the DCNF via a Freedom of Information Act request, is mostly redacted. In it, an unnamed aid to Austin asks the dispatcher if the ambulance coming to pick up Austin from his residence in Virginia would dim lights and mute sirens.

“Can the ambulance not show up with lights and sirens? Um, we’re trying to remain a little subtle,” the aide says.

The dispatcher explains that it’s standard procedure to reduce lights and alarms inside residential areas, but that the emergency services department is required by law to run the flashing lights and sirens on main roads, citing Georgetown Pike and Leesburg Pike.

The Pentagon would not say on Wednesday if Austin requested the aide to press for the low-profile transit or if his security team or staff came up with the idea on their own. Austin maintains 24/7 security and staff support, Ryder said.

The 911 call was first reported by The Daily Beast.

I want to thank the doctors and nursing staff at Walter Reed for their professionalism and superb support during my stay. Now, as I continue to recuperate and perform my duties from home, I’m eager to fully recover and return as quickly as possible to the Pentagon.…

— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) January 15, 2024

The Pentagon announced plans on Jan. 9 to conduct a 30-day internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding Austin’s disappearance, focusing on identifying whether officials lapsed in communicating when and how the secretary delegated responsibilities, Kelley Magsamen, Austin’s chief of staff, said in a memo. Austin’s second-in-command, Deputy Secretary 0f Defense Kathleen Hicks, had carried out some routine duties on his behalf while on vacation in Puerto Rico, seemingly without knowing that her boss was out of commission.

“This review will help to ensure clarity and transparency when a determination has been made that certain authorities have been transferred, and that proper and timely notification has been made to the President and White House and, as appropriate, the United States Congress and the American public,” Magsamen wrote.

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For someone to deem it necessary to NOT inform the White House that the Secretary of Defense was in an intensive care unit is startling, not just because of breached protocols as corporate media is reporting but more importantly because it means unelected officials are calling the shots. This is likely not a surprise to our readers, but normies will be shocked. At least they would be if mockingbird media reported on it properly. Instead, they’ll talk about “irregularities” or “miscommunications” and sweep this under the rug.

The real question we need answered (not that we expect any answers to come) is why Obama and his cronies decided that Biden didn’t need to know his top military advisor was in grave danger. Here’s the news story by Discern Reporter generated from corporate media reports…

Amid tensions in the Middle East, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was hospitalized, including spending four days in the intensive care unit, according to two senior administration officials.

The Pentagon did not inform senior officials in the White House’s National Security Council of Austin’s hospitalization until Thursday — three days after he arrived at Walter Reed Medical Center, a U.S. official confirms. Politico first reported the delay.

Austin was admitted to the hospital Monday night for “complications following a recent elective medical procedure,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement Friday evening.

On Saturday, Austin released a statement taking responsibility for not disclosing his condition sooner. He stated, “I am very glad to be on the mend and look forward to returning to the Pentagon soon. 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. But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”

President Joe Biden spoke with Austin on Saturday evening, according to a senior administration official, who indicated it was the first phone call between the president and Austin since his hospitalization.

“It was a warm conversation,” the senior administration official said. “The President wished him the best in his recovery and said he looks forward to seeing the Secretary back at the Pentagon soon.”

Austin resumed his full duties on Friday evening and remained hospitalized on Saturday. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, who was on leave, has picked up his duties during his absence.

The Pentagon refused to provide details about the procedure or when it took place, and it won’t say whether Austin was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

Asked why the Pentagon kept Austin’s hospitalization secret, Ryder told NBC News, “This has been an evolving situation in which we had to consider a number of factors.”

While Austin has been hospitalized, the U.S. conducted a rare and controversial strike against a senior Iranian-backed militia member in Baghdad, bases with Americans have been attacked at least six times, and the Biden administration has been considering options to strike Houthi militants in response to their continued attacks against ships in the Red Sea.

Tension in the region centers on the Israel-Hamas war. In October, the U.S. Navy sent two carrier strike groups to the eastern Mediterranean Sea in response.

Iran-backed Houthi militants based in Yemen, unhappy with Israel’s attacks on Palestinian communities, have been attacking container ships in the Red Sea.

On Dec. 30, a U.S. Navy destroyer shot down two Houthi missiles after it responded to a strike on a container ship that resulted in no injuries or damage, military officials said at the time. The next day, Houthi rebels fired on Navy helicopters responding to a container ship distress call. The Navy fired back, sinking three small boats and killing the crews, officials said.

The U.S. is also wary of further regional entanglement as Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon exchange munitions with Israel along its northern border.

Leave your thoughts about this story on my Substack.

“On the evening of January 1, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for complications following a recent elective medical procedure,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder stated.

“He is recovering well and is expecting to resume his full duties today,” Ryder added.

The Pentagon revealed that Austin was hospitalized after the surgery, but not immediately after. The news of Austin’s hospitalization was shared with the media on Friday.

Ryder mentioned that the hospitalization was kept from the press due to “medical and personal privacy issues.”

“This has been an evolving situation in which we [have] had to consider a number of factors including medical and personal privacy issues,” Ryder told Fox News. “We are now in a position to update you.”

It is still unclear what the elective medical procedure was or the date of the surgery.

The Pentagon Press Association (PPA), an organization that represents journalists covering the Pentagon, sent a letter from its board of directors to Secretary Austin’s personnel on Friday evening.

The letter, which was addressed to Ryder and Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Chris Meagher, expressed the organization’s “significant concern” about the Defense Department’s delayed disclosure of Austin’s hospitalization.

“We are writing to express our significant concerns about the Defense Department’s failure to notify the public and the media about Secretary Lloyd Austin’s current hospitalization,” the letter said. “The fact that he has been at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for four days and the Pentagon is only now alerting the public late on a Friday evening is an outrage.”

The organization stated that the Defense Department’s disclosure “falls far below the normal disclosure standards” of when senior administration officials undergo surgery.

“It falls far below the normal disclosure standards that are customary by other federal departments when senior officials undergo medical procedures or are temporarily incapacitated,” the letter said.

The board argued that the American public deserves to know when their leaders are incapacitated.

“The public has a right to know when U.S. Cabinet members are hospitalized, under anesthesia or when duties are delegated as the result of any medical procedure,” the letter said. “That has been the practice even up to the president’s level. As the nation’s top defense leader, Secretary Austin has no claim to privacy in this situation.”

“At a time when there are growing threats to U.S. military service members in the Middle East and the U.S. is playing key national security roles in the wars in Israel and Ukraine, it is particularly critical for the American public to be informed about the health status and decision-making ability of its top defense leader,” the letter concluded.

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks has filled in while on a previously scheduled leave.

“At all times, the deputy secretary of defense was prepared to act for and exercise the powers of the secretary, if required,” Ryder said.

Article generated from corporate media reports by Discern Reporter.

Under the command of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the U.S. military airstrikes targeted facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and its affiliated groups in Iraq at 8:45 p.m. EST on Dec. 25.

Earlier in the day, a one-way drone targeted a U.S. base in Erbil, Iraq, where American forces are stationed, resulting in injuries among U.S. personnel, according to the White House National Security Council (NSC).

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed that President Joe Biden ordered the retaliatory strikes in response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in both Iraq and Syria, perpetrated by “Iranian-sponsored militias.”

“Today, at President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq,” Mr. Austin said in a statement.

“These precision strikes are a response to a series of attacks against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-sponsored militias, including an attack by Iran-affiliated Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups on Erbil Air Base earlier today, and intended to disrupt and degrade capabilities of the Iran-aligned militia groups directly responsible.”

According to early assessments, the strikes successfully destroyed the targeted facilities and likely inflicted casualties on Kataib Hezbollah, CENTCOM stated.

U.S. Central Command Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said in a statement: “These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks. We will always protect our forces.”

The strikes against U.S. forces at Erbil Air Base earlier in the day by Kataib Hezbollah terrorists with Iranian sponsorship, alongside affiliated groups, resulted in several injuries to U.S. personnel, one of which left a service member in critical condition. Mr. Austin expressed his solidarity, stating, “My prayers are with the brave Americans who were injured today.”

The statement did not provide specific details about the locations or methods of the strikes, but it outlined the broader strategic goal of mitigating the threat posed by Iranian-sponsored militias in the region.

The U.S. government asserts that these actions were taken in self-defense and in response to a series of provocations, seeking to send a clear message about the consequences of attacking American personnel.

The White House National Security Council said President Biden was briefed on the attack on Monday morning and ordered the Pentagon to prepare response options against those responsible.

“Those options were then presented to the President during a call this afternoon with Secretary of Defense Austin and members of the President’s national security team,” NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

Ms. Watson said President Biden ordered the strikes during that call against three locations used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups “focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities.”

“The President places no higher priority than the protection of American personnel serving in harm’s way,” she added. “The United States will act at a time and in a manner of our choosing should these attacks continue.

Mr. Austin reiterated that he and the president “will not hesitate to take necessary action to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests.”

“There is no higher priority. While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities,” he added.

In a memo, the Pentagon rescinded the mandate for all servicemembers to be administered Covid-19 “vaccines.” They will also remove any penalties or reprimands from records of current servicemembers who were punished over their vaccine stance or status. Nobody will be discharged over vaccine status going forward. Unfortunately, that does NOT apply to those who have already been discharged. They will remain discharged and their service records will not be amended.

Moreover, officers can still make decisions about assignments and deployments based on vaccine status.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin started his memo to military leadership with a pair of bald-faced lies:

“I am deeply proud of the Department’s work to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Through your leadership, we have improved the health of our Service members and the readiness of the Force…”

No, they did not improve the health of servicemembers nor did they improve readiness. Objectively, our military has failed miserably the last two years on both fronts. They’re just trying to coverup the fact that they’ve done massive harm to both the health of our men and women in uniform as well as our military’s ability to face threats to the United States. And that was almost certainly always their intention.

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert applauded the move but called for the Pentagon to figure out a way to fix the damage they’ve done to members they discharged over the draconian and worthless mandate.

“The Pentagon has RESCINDED their COVID vaccine mandate. This is a HUGE victory. Now, it’s time to make it right for the people whose lives were destroyed by this disgraceful mandate!”

The Pentagon has RESCINDED their COVID vaccine mandate.

This is a HUGE victory.

Now, it’s time to make it right for the people whose lives were destroyed by this disgraceful mandate! pic.twitter.com/M0CKukgSYX

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) January 10, 2023

This is a step forward and we’ll take the win. Unfortunately, there are countless servicemembers who are now forever burdened with current and future health issues that will arise from what they were forced to have injected into their arms.