Joint Chiefs spokesman defends Milley
Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was acting constitutionally and within his established responsibilities when he privately conferred with his Chinese military counterpart to avert armed conflict with the United States late in the Trump administration, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs said Wednesday.
In a statement, spokesman Col. Dave Butler said Milley “continues to act and advise within his authority in the lawful tradition of civilian control of the military and his oath to the Constitution.”
Secret calls from Milley, the country’s top military officer, to Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army in October and January are detailed a book by Washington Post associate editor Bob Woodward and national political reporter Robert Costa.
Butler’s statement largely confirmed the reporting in the book.
The defense of Milley’s conduct came a day after former president Donald Trump, speaking on the conservative television network Newsmax, labeled the chairman’s reported actions “treason” and said, “I did not ever think of attacking China.”
Within the hour the Joint Chiefs, the president of the United States, and Milley's office itself have stated emphatically that Milley did nothing wrong.
This brouha is going nowhere.
Great, then he has nothing to hide and should have no problem taking a polygraph and/or testifying under oath on the topic..
Why would he take a polygraph, he admits to the facts of the story.
He says he did nothing wrong. The Joint Chiefs of Staff say he did nothing wrong, and the President says he did nothing wrong.
If the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military body in the nation, say he did nothing wrong , how is he going to be formally accused of treason?
He's not.
If Milley had had secret phone calls to China about averting a Biden action you know these guys would be hoo raying and shit and say not one word about treason
As I read the Joint Chiefs of Staff statement, they seem to be acknowledging that Trump was a danger to our nation.
I was never in the same room as him, but his tweets and public comments concerned me
Then they will have no problem defending their actions and showing proof the Trump was a danger.
Once again, why not? If he has nothing to hide, he has no problem ..... one wonders why some think him taking one is problem.
What we have here is the Joint Chiefs of Staff stating that Trump was a threat to the safety of the nation.
Think about that.
Schlesinger did the same think when Nixon kept getting drunk and suggesting deflections to get the press worried about something other than his impending impeachment.
The Joint Chiefs were equally complicit to avoid a nuclear "accident" by Nixon.
The political right shows no concern at all over Trumps unhinged behavior for two months up to and including Jan 6, but they have all the concern in the world that Milley "betrayed" Trump. This is our current political environment in a nutshell.
So the Joint Chiefs of Staff that are appointed by Biden; and are headed by Milley who also was appointed by Biden, decided that Milley did everything by the book? Talk about a circle jerk of BS!
Leave it to the left not to see the absolute stupidity of allowing those appointed by Biden and headed by Milley to have any damn say in what Milley did.
Mid terms can't come quick enough. The Republicans have to rip this administration apart from the top down.
Biden changed the existing Joint Chiefs of Staff after he took office? I dont remember hearing that.
According to this, all of the current Joint Chiefs of Staff were appointed by Trump
Joint Chiefs of Staff - Wikipedia
The problem with that typical angry partisan Ronin nonsense is that each and every one o the Chiefs were appointed by Trump for 4 year terms, not Biden.
Sorry.
Milley betrayed the chain of command and the Constitution!
This whole thing is going to blow up in the face of Trump and the Republicans who defend him.
yet again, if Milley had doubts about Trump, there are protocols and ways to remove him.
No need to turn traitor to remove Trump or usurp his authority.
No you see, when i was worried about my CO's competency, it was completely normal to call my enemy to warn them about it.
Happened every day in the suck ...... /S
Lol .... Trumps mental health is an issue but Bidens is not.
Hilarious!
What is hilarious is the way "conservatives" are reacting to all this.
Nah but the way some liberals are trying to spin it is.
I know you can't see it for what it is John. I don't expect you to.
I am tired of this topic already . Lets have Milley go before Congress so he can tell everyone how nuts Trump was. It should be quite entertaining.
Sure, I would love to see him confess to his treasonous acts.
I would consider it sad rather than entertaining, though.
How in the fuck would he know if Trump is in "Mental Decline" he's not a Doctor.
He probably thinks that seeing the president scream at everyone is a likely sign.
Milley's spokesman say Milley did nothing wrong....
Well, that settles it
Lol ..... bazinga!
If the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs committed treason is it your opinion that the rest of the Joint Chiefs would support him in it? That sounds ludicrous on the face of it.
A spokesman for the Joint Chiefs John, a spokesman not the Joint Chiefs. Regardless, you still haven't answered my question.
If everything he did was so righteous, why the resistance to testifying under oath or taking a polygraph?
Resistance to the same simple makes him look guilty
Polygraph? LMAO
Where has he refused to testify?
The last I saw he is scheduled to testify before Congress on 28 Sep 21.
Do you seriously believe that a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs is not relaying the opinion of the Joint Chiefs?
Some folks just make up this shit as they go along . . .
Why would i answer any more of your questions when you continue to evade mine?
Lt.Col. Alexander Vindman said "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."
Yeah well, i have my doubts about Vidman's veracity.
This is really simple, take the polygraph and/or testify under oath and it's done.
Easy peasy, rubber squeegee .....
“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,” Milley said to Li in one of the conversation,
A General in the United States Army tells the Chinese I'll let you known ahead of time if we're going to attack you. How is this not treason?
It simply is.
One might be considered an idiot by denying it.
Remember Tienanmen Square and how the Chinese dealt with that?
They were appalled that we let our own Capital building be run over, they simply would not have allowed it.
I would bet more than one nuclear exchange was averted thru back channels
Five years down the road and TDS is still the real clear and present danger to this country.
Sad!