Attorney General Merrick Garland will undergo back procedure Saturday, turn over duties temporarily to deputy

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Merrick Garland will undergo a back procedure on Saturday and temporarily delegate his authority to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, the Justice Department announced Monday.

The announcement came after the White House clarified rules for Cabinet secretaries who are incapacitated after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin delayed telling the White House about surgery in December and a subsequent hospitalization for an infection.

Garland's "procedure requires general anesthesia and will last about 90 minutes," said Xochitl Hinojosa, the department's director of public affairs. "The attorney general is likely to go home the same day."

Garland is expected to return to work the following week, she said.

Austin failed to inform the White House he was undergoing surgery on Dec. 22, and his staff didn't promptly disclose that he was rushed to the hospital on Jan. 1 for a post-operative infection, a delay President Joe Biden called a lapse in judgment. The department's inspector general is reviewing the incident.

The White House's new guidelines include a half-dozen instructions for Cabinet agencies to follow when there is a “delegation of authority,” or when secretaries temporarily transfer their authority to a deputy when unreachable due to medical issues, travel, or other reasons.

Garland’s procedure aims to remedy compression between two vertebrae of his back, according to the department.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AG Garland will temporarily suspend duties for back procedure Saturday