WASHINGTON – Attorney General Merrick Garland will undergo back surgery this weekend and will temporarily hand over his official duties to his deputy. Department of Justice announced on Monday.
A Justice Department spokeswoman described the medical procedure scheduled for Saturday as “minimally invasive,” but said it would require Garland, 71, to be under general anesthesia for about 90 minutes, during which Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco will assume his duties.
“The delegation of his duties will go to the Deputy Attorney General shortly before the procedure, during the procedure and for a short period after the procedure to recover from general anesthesia,” Public Affairs Director Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement.
Defense Minister Lloyd Austin a congressional investigation for initially keeping it a secret that he had been hospitalized for complications from prostate cancer treatment. He and his staff waited three days Briefing the White House, senior national security officials, and even some senior defense officials. He was released from the hospital on January 15 after two weeks and returned to the Pentagon on Monday.
The surgery Garland will undergo is called interlaminar decompression to relieve stenosis in her spine, Hinojosa said. It is essentially targeted pain relief lower back.
“The attorney general will likely go home the same day as the procedure” and “return to work the week of February 5,” Hinojosa said.
Michael Kosnar reported from Washington, D.C., and Dareh Gregorian reported from New York.