President Joe Biden said Wednesday he has "great confidence" in Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley's leadership after being asked about assertions leveled in a new book about Milley's actions in the aftermath of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
New reporting surfaced in Bob Woodward and Robert Costa's new book "Peril" details how Milley, the top US general, called his Chinese counterpart on two occasions to reassure him and took action to limit former President Donald Trump from potentially ordering a dangerous military strike. "Peril" discusses Milley's actions in regards to a military action or a nuclear strike, in which Milley told subordinates that he must be directly involved in any discussion.
When asked about the report by reporters Wednesday afternoon, Biden said, "I have great confidence in General Milley."
The book's reporting has sparked criticism from Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who called on Biden to dismiss Milley, and former National Security Council official Alexander Vindman, who called on Milley to resign if the allegations in the book were true.
Earlier on Wednesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated Biden has "complete confidence" in Milley.
"I'm not going to add more -- speak to anonymous unconfirmed reports about conversations with limited context from here. But what I can assure you all of is that the President knows General Milley, he has been chairman of the Joint Chiefs for almost eight months of his presidency. They've worked side by side through a range of international events. And the President has complete confidence in his leadership, his patriotism and his fidelity to our Constitution," Psaki told reporters Wednesday, later describing Milley as a "man of honor."...
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Gen. Mark Milley says he was conducting the duties of his office — not circumventing presidential authority — when he spoke to his Chinese counterpart shortly before last year's election, according to a statement the Pentagon issued Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteMilley's actions in the final months of former President Donald Trump's term made headlines this week after a new book by journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was attempting to head off a potential armed conflict when he called Chinese Gen. Li Zuocheng.
The book, Peril, is not yet released. It describes Milley as being "fearful Trump might spark war," according to The Washington Post.
Milley confirms that he spoke to Li and other world military leaders in October and in January. But Joint Staff spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said those communications were part of his normal duties and responsibilities "conveying reassurance in order to maintain strategic stability."
Butler also said Milley did not break protocol in the way he got in touch with Li.