Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman says Gen. Milley 'must resign' if his secret calls with China occurred
Category: News & Politics
Via: vic-eldred • 3 years ago • 49 commentsBy: Joseph Wulfsohn (Fox News)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the star witness in the first impeachment of President Trump, is calling for the resignation of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley if the reporting of his secret phone calls with China under the previous administration occurred.
New reporting from the upcoming book "Peril" alleges that Milley reached out to his Chinese counterpart in the final months of the Trump presidency, vowing that he would warn the CCP if the commander in chief launched an attack.
Vindman, an outspoken Trump critic himself, insisted that "if" the reporting is accurate, Milley's actions went too far.
"If this is true GEN Milley must resign," Vindman tweeted. "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."
He added, "#dotherightthingintherightway."
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Floriday Tuesday called on Biden to fire Milley.
Vindman became a national figure in 2019 when he offered his testimony during the impeachment investigation of President Trump over his conduct with Ukraine and allegations that he was pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the Bidens by withholding aid. Trump was ultimately acquitted by the Senate.
In the new book, authored by Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward and national political reporter Robert Costa, it is alleged that Milley made two secret phone calls, both to his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People's Liberation Army. The book alleges that the phone calls took place prior to the 2020 presidential election on Oct. 30, 2020, and two days after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, on Jan. 8, 2021.
According to the book, Milley contacted Zuocheng after he had reviewed intelligence that suggested Chinese officials believed the United States was planning an attack on China amid military exercises in the South China Sea.
"General Li, I want to assure you that the American government is stable and everything is going to be OK," Milley told him during the first call, the book said. "We are not going to attack or conduct any kinetic operations against you."
The book, excerpted in the Washington Post, also stated that Milley told Zuocheng that he would warn him in advance should America decide to "attack."
"Gen. 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," Milley added, as reported by the book, "Peril," which is set to be released next week. "It's not going to be a surprise."
The authors of the book also claim Milley contacted Zuocheng a second time to reassure him that the U.S. would not make any type of advances or attack China in any form, as Milley promised, "We are 100% steady. Everything's fine. But democracy can be sloppy sometimes."
Those phone calls, according to the book, were never mentioned to Trump, as Milley believed his mental state had declined following the election, something about which he shared his thoughts in a phone call with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Jan. 8, the same day he called Zuocheng the second time. According to Pelosi, she spoke with Milley that day about "available precautions" to prevent Trump from engaging in military action.
Even Vindman, special Trump hating observer, knows what it means.
Dont you have another seed on this same topic you started just a few minutes ago?
This must be BIG , lol.
Actually it is a real issue John, as opposed to some tweet!
I wonder what else is in this book, PERIL. It sounds like the topic might be the peril the unhinged Trump put the country in in his waning days. I look forward to hearing more about it.
It also claims that Milley met with other military commanders and had them swear allegiance to him. These are astonishing claims. Either Woodward or Milley is going down, right?
You think the only problem with Trump was "mean tweets". It is almost pointless to discuss anything with you.
Where and when did THAT happen? I have seen no reports of that at all. I DID see that Miley insisted that people follow proper procedures, which is EXACTLY what he was supposed to do.
Yup.
It is almost pointless to discuss anything with you.
Have a good night.
Supposedly about 9 or 10 months ago. The question is why did Woodward and Costa sit on it for all that time? To make a buck now?
Just like everyone else that writes a book.
Uh hu... That doesn't mean it happened.
We do need to know, don't you think?
How about they have Milley testify under oath, at the very least?
Comical that now they are going to believe Vindman....
Did you all not call him basically a liar?
As comical as you not believing him now?
I did in the sense that it was really him who was the source. I also thought he was a Trump hater.
I thought those who loved him would be interested in what he had to say now.
I am actually going to agree with you for once. I don't think what he did was right.
Since I believe in considering both sides of a story, which is very much unlike most others around here, I have a different viewpoint...
Trump's behaviour was so irrational (the"fix", the "stolen" election) at the time it is hard to know WHAT he might have done to save his presidency. I recall posting a comment around that time that I hoped he was not going to be allowed near the "button". Maybe Milley should be commended for preventing China from making a pre-emptive strike caused by some insane act on the part of Trump.
That was Nancy Pelosi's position. According to Woodward, Milley agreed with her. Yet Trump didn't take any action against China, nor did he say he was even thinking about it. So whatever the "heroic" motivation you are attributing to General Milley, there has to be a reckoning, How many provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice could Milley have violated? Article 92, 94?
Trump said a lot of things. Are you telling me he and his administration (surely carrying out his orders) didn't provoke or take any "shots" at China?
Going behind the president’s back to the Chinese military is offense # 1 and it really doesn't matter who the president is.
It would be treason in China. It's treason here as well.
He was talking to his counterpart in China, they had spoken many times before.
Miley is an American Hero, Trump? Not so much.
He's not in trouble for talking to him is he? It's what he said that matters.
Don't you know....Milley is a hero/s
Ole China Joe, right?
Biden announces security pact that would deliver nuclear submarines to Australia
You lost me. We are talking about Milley
You're into books. Maybe someone should write a book entitled "The Man Who May Have Prevented a War".
The more the merrier - eventually the world will bristle with nuclear weapons in the hopes of preventing China from surpassing the USA as nation number one.
What's he got to do with Poland?
In the movie "On the Beach" Australia was the last place in the world that wasn't toxic from nuclear fallout, the last place where life could survive at least for a limited time. Now even THAT respite is gone - Thanks Joe.
Morning Buzz...was gone way before now... North Korea has been rabbiting on for yonks about aiming missiles at us, so everyone else get in line..
Think it is hilarious other countries think we are such a threat..
As they know we will always stand by our Allies...they make it sound like it is something new and just come out of the blue..🇦🇺🇺🇲
Well, If Americans can change English by simplifyng the spelling of many words, no reason why Australians can't create a new revised English language. LOL
Anoon Buzz...just as a matter of interest....how do Canadians spell cheque and tyre?? English or American??
Being next to the USA we are bound to be a little infected - I spell it cheque and tire, but you will have seen that I stick mostly to British spelling, notwithstanding it gets redlined by my computer.
Thanks...yes the options here on my computer and mobile were American English...I retrained them to Aussie English... They had a total melt down at first...🐨🐨
LOL. You put your computer to a difficult task.
It's certainly worth it to examine all the facts behind this and what was said to the other Pentagon officials. I do find it interesting that republicans now want to support Lt. Col. Vindman when they declared him a liar during the impeachments. I wish they would make up their mind as to who and what they support.
I do find it interesting that republicans now want to support Lt. Col. Vindman when they declared him a liar during the impeachments.
We also find it interesting that the left suddenly doesn't trust Lt Col Vindman after believing everything he had to say about a meeting he never attended in person when it suited their purposes for impeachment.
It's somewhat hard to process all that spun partisan opinion after listening to nearly two and a half years of right wing conservatives stripping Lt Col Vindman of all service, loyalty, dignity, humanity and American citizenship. Perhaps if those only now are agreeing with Lt Col Vindman, who has exactly the same insight and knowledge about the facts in this case as any other American reading excerpts from a new book, thought about how hilariously hypocritical their newly found faith in a man they essentially called a traitor is, they wouldn't be brave enough to try. But if there's one thing you can say about half witted dipshits and morons, they do not lack in bravery.
One of two things:
a- Vindman, a national security "wonk", was kept out of the loop for some reason
b- He knew and kept his mouth shut
If Milley must resign because of a 'secret' conversation with his Chinese counterpart then Trump must resign all rights and privilege from being president for his 'secret' meeting with Putin at Helsinki.
Helsinki again?
How about we put up a monument and you can bury history under it.
Good one!
The man who attempted to alter official documents calling for somebody's resignation is as laughable as the Biden administration.