by Tyler Durden at ZeroHedge
Update (1800ET): While General Milley and The White House must be hoping that if they just keep pointing the finger at Trump’s behavior, this whole treasonous affair will go away judging from angry comments from Christopher Miller – who was Donald Trump’s acting Secretary of Defense at the time of the calls to China – this crisis is anything but over…
JustTheNews.com’s Susan Katz Keating reports that the former Pentagon chief said he did not authorize Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to directly contact China’s top military commander – contrary to Milley’s claims that his conversations with Beijing were approved by defense officials.
Miller said he “as secretary of defense, did not and would not ever authorize” the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to hold “secret” conversations with the Chinese defense chief.
In a statement to Fox News, Miller said the alleged calls were a “disgraceful and unprecedented act of insubordination.”
“The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest-ranking military officer whose sole role is providing military-specific advice to the president, and by law is prohibited from exercising executive authority to command forces,” Miller said.
“The chain of command runs from the President to the Secretary of Defense, not through the Chairman.”
Miller added that if the story of Milley’s “histrionic outbursts and unsanctioned, anti-Constitutional involvement in foreign policy prove true, he must resign immediately or be fired by the Secretary of Defense to guarantee the sanctity of the officer corps.”
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said he cannot verify the claims in Woodward’s book but added he “see[s] nothing in what I’ve read that would cause any concern.”
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Update (1340ET): While many Republicans described the actions of Milley as treasonous if they indeed took place, 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.
Is anyone surprised?
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Update (1245ET): As the backlash from Woodward’s expose of General Milley’s apparently treasonous actions grows…
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