Milley Defends His Calls to China During Trump's Term

Politics|Milley defends his actions astatine the extremity of Trump’s term.

• Sept. 28, 2021, 10:46 a.m. ET

Gen. Mark A. Milley, the president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, defended his actions successful the tumultuous past months of the Trump administration, insisting that calls to his Chinese counterpart and a gathering successful which helium told generals to alert him if the president tried to motorboat a atomic limb were each portion of his occupation duties arsenic the country’s astir elder subject officer.

“My loyalty to this nation, its people, and the Constitution hasn’t changed and volition ne'er alteration arsenic agelong arsenic I person a enactment to give,” helium said. “I firmly judge successful civilian power of the subject arsenic a bedrock rule indispensable to this republic and I americium committed to ensuring the subject stays wide of home politics.”

General Milley utilized the ending of his opening remarks during earlier the Senate Armed Services Committee to code the turmoil of caller revelations successful the publication “Peril” by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. He said helium was directed by Mark Esper, past the caput of defense, to marque a telephone connected Oct. 30 to his Chinese counterpart due to the fact that determination was “intelligence which caused america to judge the Chinese were disquieted astir an onslaught connected them by the United States.”

“I know, I americium certain, President Trump did not mean connected attacking the Chinese and it is my directed work to convey statesmanlike orders and intent,” helium said. “My task astatine that clip was to de-escalate. My connection again was consistent: calm, steady, de-escalate. We are not going to onslaught you.”

General Milley besides addressed the frantic telephone telephone with Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California 2 days aft the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. A transcript of the telephone successful the publication said that the wide agreed with Ms. Pelosi’s characterization of President Donald J. Trump arsenic being “crazy.”

Speaking to the Senate panel, General Milley said, “On 8 January, Speaker of the House Pelosi called maine to inquire astir the president’s quality to motorboat atomic weapons. I sought to guarantee her that atomic motorboat is governed by a precise circumstantial and deliberate process. She was acrophobic and made assorted idiosyncratic references characterizing the president. I explained to her that the president is the sole atomic motorboat authority, and helium doesn’t motorboat them alone, and that I americium not qualified to find the intelligence wellness of the president of the United States.”

Later that afternoon, helium said, helium called the generals progressive successful that process to “refresh connected these procedures.”