More Republican members of the U.S. Senate are calling for either an investigation or resignation for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, after bombshell allegations in a forthcoming book say the general may have committed treason against the United States, the New York Post reports.
The allegations stem from a portion of an unreleased book titled Peril, by former journalist Bob Woodward and Washington Post reporter Robert Costa. The book claims that Milley reached out to Chinese military leaders at least twice during the Trump presidency to assure them that he would inform them ahead of time in the event that the United States planned an attack of any kind.
The first call allegedly took place on October 30, 2020, when Milley called General Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army to inform him the United States “[is] not going to attack or conduct any kinetic operations against you,” and that in the event an attack was ordered by President Trump, Milley would “call you ahead of time,” and assure the Chinese that “it’s not going to be a surprise.” The second call took place on January 8, shortly after the protests by pro-Trump crowds at the United States Capitol. Milley told Li that the United States was “100 percent steady. Everything’s fine. But democracy can be sloppy sometimes.”
These claims, if proven to be true, would be tantamount to the crime of treason, which is defined as an instance where anyone who owes “allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere.” Some have pointed out that Milley’s promises to inform an enemy nation of an impending attack fit the definition of aiding the enemy.
A spokesman for Milley’s office issued a statement that did not deny the allegations, but instead defended Milley as “keeping with his duties and responsibilities conveying reassurance in order to maintain strategic stability.”
Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said if the claims are proven true, then Milley’s actions are “treacherous, dangerous, and unconstitutional,” and “if this is true, he should be fired. He should be fired and he should have to face military justice for what he’s done.”
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said “if the book is accurate and the conversation did occur as described in the book, General Milley undercut civilian control of the military and he should go.”
Milley had previously faced calls to resign from his position over the disastrous American withdrawal from Afghanistan, which resulted in dozens of Americans being stranded in the country after it fell to Taliban control, as well as billions of dollars worth of American equipment, vehicles, and other resources falling into the Taliban’s hands.