Tuesday, 28 September 2021 (YJC)_ Gen. Mark A. Milley defended controversial calls with his Chinese counterparts near the end of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Gen. Mark A. Milley on Tuesday defended controversial calls with his Chinese counterparts near the end of Donald Trump’s presidency, saying the conversations were part of his responsibility to prevent a potentially deadly misunderstanding between two superpowers.
During the calls, which occurred before and after the November election, Milley assured Gen. Li Zuocheng, the top Chinese commander, that Trump was not planning any surprise attack. The discussions were revealed in “Peril,” a new book from Bob Woodward and Robert Costa.
Trump has suggested that Milley committed treason, and Republicans have said he might have subverted the chain of command.
But Milley, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee that his calls with Li were far from secret. He said that he coordinated the discussions with Pentagon leadership and afterward he briefed Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
In addition, Milley testified that he wasn’t undermining Trump because the president had no intention of attacking China. However, he was concerned that Chinese intelligence was mistakenly concerned that a strike was in the works.
“My task at that time was to de-escalate,” Milley said. “My message again was consistent — ‘Stay calm, stead and de-escalate. We are not going to attack you.’”
Milley also described a call with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) that occurred after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Pelosi expressed concerns that Trump was unstable, and she worried about his control of the country’s nuclear weapons, according to “Peril.”
The general told lawmakers he informed Pelosi that “the president is the sole nuclear launch authority, and he doesn’t launch them alone, and I am not qualified to determine the mental health of the president of the United States.”
Milley testified alongside Lloyd J. Austin III, the Defense secretary, and Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., who oversaw operations in Afghanistan.
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