General Mark Milley, America's top military official, undermined the authority of the Commander-in-Chief in the final months and weeks of the Trump Administration.
First, according to a new book coming out by Washington Post (paywall) journalist Bob Woodward, Gen. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told other generals if President Trump attempted to launch a nuclear weapon Milley would do everything he could to stop it.
Milley also summoned senior officers to review the procedures for launching nuclear weapons, saying the president alone could give the order — but, crucially, that he, Milley, also had to be involved. Looking each in the eye, Milley asked the officers to affirm that they had understood, the authors write, in what he considered an “oath.”
Second, Gen. Milley was so worried President Trump was going to start a war with China he called his Chinese counterpart to talk to him about a potential attack. It gets worse. Milley told his Chinese counterpart he would call him and give him a heads up before any attack took place.
Unbelievable.
The Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff said he would give a rival a warning call before bombs starting falling. That would give up every strategic advantage the U.S. had (to be clear we are not advocating war, just pointing out what Milley's actions could have done). Not to mention Milley is not the president. He serves at the pleasure of the president.
Milley doesn't have the authority the president does. Woodward's book, Peril, makes the case while everyone was worried about the January 6th U.S. Capitol breach a U.S. military general was going outside his authority, undermining the president in what can be described as a soft coup attempt.
It's past time for Milley to go.