US top general defends call to Chinese at end of Trump presidency

The US top general has told US lawmakers that he has not tried to undermine Donald Trump by calling his Chinese counterpart after US intelligence signaled that China feared the former president might order a military attack.

Gen Mark Milley, chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs, testified Tuesday before the Senate Armed Forces Committee.

During the hearing, he defended himself against calls he made to reassure his Chinese counterpart on the matter.

I know that President Trump did not intend to attack the Chinese, and it is my direct responsibility – and it was my direct responsibility of the Secretary of State to convey that intention to the Chinese. My job at the time was to de-escalate, “he said.

“My message was again consistent: stay calm, calm and de-escalate,” Milley said during the congressional hearing.

Milley said he made two specific calls to his Chinese counterpart General Li Zuocheng from the People’s Liberation Army on October 30, 2020 and January 8, 2021.

We won’t attack you. At the direction of Secretary of Defense (Mark) Esper, I called General Li on October 30th. Eight people sat with me on that call and I read the call aloud within 30 minutes of the call ended, he said.

On December 31st, the Chinese asked me to call me again. The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asia-Pacific Policy helped coordinate my call, which was scheduled for January 8th, and he made the 6th call that was distributed to the Inter-Agency that same day.

Shortly after his call with General Li ended, Milley said he personally informed both then Secretary of State (Mike) Pompeo and the White House Chief of Staff about the call, among other things.

Republicans have blown Milley’s conversations with China and his interviews for books critical of Trump’s presidency.

Later that day, January 8th, the Speaker of the House (Nancy) Pelosi called me to inquire about the president’s ability to launch nuclear weapons. I tried to reassure her that a nuclear launch is controlled by a very specific and deliberate process. She was concerned and gave various personal pointers that characterize the president, Milley said.

I explained to her that the President is the only authority on nuclear weapons launches and that he will not launch them alone and that I am not qualified to determine the mental health of the President of the United States. There are processes, protocols and procedures and I have repeatedly assured her that there is no chance of an illegal, unauthorized or accidental start, he said.

Through the directives of the President and the Secretary of Defense, the Chair is part of the process to ensure that the President is fully informed about the use of the deadliest weapons in the world. According to the law, I’m not in the chain of command, and I know it, he noted.

However, due to the direction of the President and the direction of the Department of Defense (DOD), he is in the chain of communication to fulfill his legally mandated role as the President’s primary military advisor.

Miley had come under fire, among other things, including calls for resignation after news of the calls to his Chinese counterparts became known in mid-September.

(Only the headline and image of this report may have been revised by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)

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