Biden Stands by Milley After Reports of Secret Phone Call With Chinese General

Zachary Stieber
By Zachary Stieber
September 15, 2021Politics
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President Joe Biden is standing by Gen. Mark Milley, the top military officer in the United States, following reports that he secretly called a Chinese general during former President Donald Trump’s administration and promised to tip off the communist country.

Several anonymously sourced reports alleged Milley called Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army once in 2020 and another time in January to assure him that the United States would not attack the Chinese Communist Party and if they were poised to attack, he would alert his counterpart.

Republicans described the actions of Milley as treasonous if they indeed took place, but White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that the president is backing Milley even if the calls did happen.

“The president believes he’s patriotic, his fidelity to our Constitution is unquestionable, and he has complete confidence in him,” Psaki said during a briefing in Washington.

Psaki claimed the context of when the calls allegedly took place was important, accusing Trump of “fomenting an insurrection,” referring to Jan. 6, and that “there was broad concern about many members of his national security team” in the wake of the U.S. Capitol breach.

“It’s the obligation of every chairman of the joint chiefs to follow constitutional order to prevent unlawful military action,” she also said.

Joe Biden & Mark A. Milley
President Joe Biden speaks with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark A. Milley (L), after addressing a joint session of congress in the House chamber of the Capitol in Washington, on April 28, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCOS), which Milley chairs, said in a statement that Milley regularly talks with counterparts across the world, including counterparts with China and Russia.

“His calls with the Chinese and others in October and January were in keeping with these duties and responsibilities conveying reassurance in order to maintain strategic stability. All calls from the Chairman to his counterparts, including those reported, are staffed, coordinated and communicated with the Department of Defense and the interagency,” a spokesman for the group said.

Army General Mark Milley
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Mark Milley participates in a news briefing at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on Aug. 18, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“General 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,” the spokesman added.

But top Republicans asserted that what Milley did constituted treason and that he should be ousted and possibly face charges.

“If it is actually true, which is hard to believe, that he would have called China and done these things and was willing to advise them of an attack or in advance of an attack, that’s treason,” Trump said in a phone call with Newsmax.

The former president in a written statement said the reporting was inaccurate and that he never thought of attacking China.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Fox News said Milley, if he made the calls, was “basically ignoring the Constitution, deciding he’s going to call a potential adversary and an enemy of the United States, and collude with them and tell them that ‘if I’m ever ordered to do something, I’m going to tell you about it first.'”

“I don’t care what you think of President Trump, the Chairman of the JCOS working to subvert the military chain of command and collude with China is exactly what we do not accept from military leaders in our country. He should be court martialed if true,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) added in a statement.

Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Reps. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), Jody Hice (R-Ga.), and Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.) were among the other Republicans calling for Milley, who is slated to testify to Congress later this month, to resign or be fired if the allegations are true.

“It’s plain and simple: If Milley’s alleged traitorous behavior is true, he must resign or be fired immediately,” Reschenthaler wrote on Twitter.

From The Epoch Times

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