Outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley has hit back at Donald Trump after the former president called for his death over “treasonous” talks with China.
In a post on Truth Social, the former president took aim at Milley, who he said went behind the Trump administration’s back to contact officials in Beijing.
Trump wrote: “If the Fake News reporting is correct, Milley was actually dealing with China to give them insight into the thinking of the President of the United States.
“This is an act so egregious that in the past it would have been punishable by death!”
Speak with 60 minutesMilley responded, “I have taken adequate safety measures and precautions, I wish those comments had not been made, but they were.
“I will take appropriate measures to ensure my safety and that of my family.”
Fromer President Donald Trump gives a statement on Iran as US Army Chief of Staff General James McConville and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley listen
Milley has now responded to Trump, saying he has “adequate” security and that he wishes the comments had not been made.
Milley said, “I’m a soldier, I’ve been loyal to the Constitution of the United States for 44 and a half years.
“My family and I have sacrificed a lot for this country, my mother and father before them.
“As much as these comments are directed at me, they are also directed at the institution of the military.
“We are 2.1 million people in uniform, and the American people can tell the bank that all of us, from private individuals to generals, are loyal to that Constitution.
“We will never turn our backs on it, no matter the threats, no matter the humiliation, no matter what happens.
‘If we are willing to die for that document, if we are willing to commit ourselves to the struggle, if we are willing to lose an arm, a leg (or) an eye, to protect, support and defend that document and to protect the American people, then we are willing to live for it.
“I’m not going to comment on that directly, but I can tell you that this army, this soldier, myself, will never turn my back on that Constitution.”
When asked if there was anything improper or treasonous about the calls he made to China, he replies: “Absolutely not, zero, none.”
Milley had previously told senators at a hearing that calls to China were routine and made with the knowledge of Trump officials.
In his post, Trump had also branded the calls as a “treasonous act” that could have resulted in a war between China and the US.
General Li Zuocheng (L) and Milley of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) review a guard of honor during a welcome ceremony at the Bayi Building in Beijing on August 16, 2016
In a post on Truth Social, the former president took aim at Milley, who he said went behind the Trump administration’s back to contact officials in Beijing.
Former President Trump speaks as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley (right) listens during a briefing in the White House Cabinet Room
Milley is said to have called his Chinese counterpart behind Trump’s back because he was afraid that the ex-president would take rogue actions to stay in power.
During a 2021 hearing, Milley defended his calls on China during Trump’s presidency.
During the hearing, Milley said, “I communicated with my Chinese counterpart – on assignment, by the way – to de-escalate the situation.
“And I told him we’re not going to attack. President Trump has no intention of attacking, and I have told him that repeatedly.
“I told him that if there was an attack, there would be plenty of communication going back and forth, and your Intel system would pick it up.
“I said, I’ll probably call you. Everyone will call you. We’re not going to attack you, but stay calm, that’s not going to happen. I did it twice, in October and January.’
During the same hearing, Milley also told senators that he never discussed his phone calls with former President Trump himself.
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Summerville, SC, Monday, September 25, 2023
Former President Donald Trump leaves the White House to visit St. John’s Church, in Washington, with General Milley in June 2020
After the hearing, Trump labeled Milley “treasonous” and called him “a complete lunatic” and that Milley never told him about the calls to China.
In his opening statement, Milley claimed that people within the ex-president’s inner circle were informed of the call almost immediately afterward.
Trump appointed Milley to the top military post in 2018, where he served until 2022 and was only recently replaced by the Biden administration.
Their relationship quickly deteriorated and details of their clashes have entered the public eye with the publication of several accounts of the final days of Trump’s presidency.
Last week, Joe Biden selected a new chairman of the Air Force Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, who will replace Gen. Miley.
President Biden’s pick for the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has been confirmed as Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown
It is the first time in American history that both the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are African Americans.
The new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff made headlines in 2020 when he took the title of commander of the Pacific Air Forces, recording an emotional video shortly after the police killing of George Floyd.
In full uniform, he got personal and was “full of emotion” for “the many African Americans who have suffered the same fate as George Floyd.”
General Brown will take command after reaching the 51-vote threshold needed in a vote on Wednesday. Only Senator Ron Johnson and Senator JD Vance voted no.
It comes after President Biden said in May that he “couldn’t think of anyone better suited or qualified to lead our armed forces.”