United States Joint Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley defended himself after receiving widespread criticism for speaking with his Chinese counterpart, Li Zuocheng, shortly before the presidential elections last year. He said it was a fulfillment of his duties and was not made to bypass authority.
In the final months of former U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, Milley allegedly took actions to prevent the Republican businessman from going into armed conflict with other nations. A new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa claims that the official was engaged in secret discussions with the Chinese Joint Chief of Staff, saying he was "fearful Trump might spark war."
Milley's Defense of his Actions
In a statement, Milley confirmed that he indeed talked with Li and other international military leaders in October and in January. However, those meetings were made in fulfillment of his duties and responsibilities as the U.S. Joint Chief of Staff and spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said. He added that Milley's contact with Li was not in violation of any protocol, NPR reported.
"All calls from the Chairman to his counterparts, including those reported, are staffed, coordinated, and communicated with the Department of Defense," said Butler. The spokesperson said Milley also made the communications under the knowledge of the U.S. security and intelligence community's interagency pipeline.
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The situation comes after Trump recently expressed his skepticism of the rumors surrounding Milley alleged discussions with Chinese officials. On Tuesday, the Republican businessman said that if the claims were true, they would be akin to treason. Trump made the statements during an interview, where he also acknowledged he was being tough on China when it came to the coronavirus pandemic and tracing the infection.
In a statement, the former president called on Milley to step aside and raised a theory that the Joint Chief of Staff started the rumor himself and leaked it to the book's authors. Trump also claimed that Woodward and Costa were writers who focused on fiction and not fact, Fox News reported.
Trump's Actions Against China
Trump also reassured that he never had any plans to start a war with China, calling the people who created the rumors "sick and demented." The Republican businessman claims he is the only United States president in history who did not put the country into war.
Woodward and Costa's book detailed that the Chinese nation was concerned about Trump's potential to preemptively strike in October 2020. They argued that the Republican was spurred on due to his failing chances to win the 2020 presidential election. Milley allegedly contacted Li again on Jan. 8, 2021, where he reassured his Chinese counterpart that the U.S. government was not an immediate threat to China.
Butler also seemingly confirmed that Milley talked with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shortly after the events of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot. The Joint Chief of Staff allegedly reassured the official that there were safety measures in place to prevent Trump from using nuclear weapons or utilizing the military to maintain his position as the United States president, CNBC reported.
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