Samuel Case, FISM News
According to newly released excerpts from the book “Peril” by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley allegedly went rogue and undermined former President Donald Trump during his days of office.
In a released excerpt, Milley allegedly called a meeting on Jan. 8 where he told other military officials to not take orders from the president unless he was involved. Specifically he told officers to not allow the president to use nuclear codes unless he was part of the decision, saying “No matter what you are told, you do the procedure. You do the process. And I’m part of that procedure.”
Milley also secretly called his Chinese military counterpart on two occasions – once on Oct. 30 2020 and once on Jan. 8 2021. In the second call Milley promised to inform China if the U.S. planned to attack the rival country.
“General Li, I want to assure you that the American government is stable and everything is going to be okay. We are not going to attack or conduct any kinetic operations against you,” Milley is quoted as saying. “General Li, you and I have known each other for now five years. If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time. It’s not going to be a surprise.”
On Wednesday a spokesman for Milley defended this call in a statement:
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs regularly communicates with Chiefs of Defense across the world, including with China and Russia. These conversations remain vital to improving mutual understanding of U.S. national security interests, reducing tensions, providing clarity and avoiding unintended consequences or conflict.
Many politicians and army personnel have expressed outrage over the revelations and have demanded that Milley resign, with some accusing him of treason, including former President Donald Trump.
Retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a former member of the National Security Council who also testified against President Donald Trump during his first impeachment trial, called Milley’s actions “an extremely dangerous precedent.”
If this is true GEN Milley must resign. He usurped civilian authority, broke Chain of Command, and violated the sacrosanct principle of civilian control over the military. It’s an extremely dangerous precedent. You can’t simply walk away from that. #dotherightthingintherightway https://t.co/izsMMCFPrz
— Alexander S. Vindman (@AVindman) September 14, 2021
Meanwhile Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is calling on President Biden to fire Milley. “General Milley has attempted to rationalize his reckless behavior by arguing that what he perceived as the military’s judgement as more stable than its civilian commander,” Rubio wrote in a letter to the president. He also said that Milley’s actions set a precedent that “threatens to tear apart our nation’s longstanding principle of civilian control of the military.”
Representative Ronny Jackson spoke in more colorful language, calling Milley’s actions outright treason that must be prosecuted:
TREASON! Today’s news adds to the long list of why Milley must go IMMEDIATELY! If this is true, he needs to be prosecuted, tried, and sentenced to the FULLEST extent of the law. NOTHING LESS! Colluding with our ENEMIES to undermine the President is TRAITOROUS!
— Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) September 15, 2021
Former President Donald Trump released a statement condemning the reports, saying “actions should be taken immediately against Milley,” adding that he “never even thought of attacking China.” Like Rep. Jackson, Trump too said the behavior amounted to treason.
The Constitution defines treason as “levying War against [the United States], or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.” The U.S. Code says the punishment for this high crime amounts to death, a minimum prison sentence of five years, a fine of $10,000 or more, and being barred from holding future public office.
Despite the outcry, on Wednesday President Biden told reporters that he has “great confidence in General Milley.” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reiterated the president’s stance in a press briefing, saying, “the president has complete confidence in his leadership, his patriotism, and his fidelity to our Constitution.”