General Mark Milley Defends Secret Calls To China In Grilling Before Congress

General Mark Milley defended making phone calls to China assuring them the United States wasn't planning an attack and insisted he has "absolute" loyalty to the country.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley defended making phone calls to China – in which he assured them the United States wasn’t planning an attack, and that Milley would warn China if an attack was coming – insisting he has “absolute” loyalty to the country.

He made the comments during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Milley, according to reports in a new book called, Peril, grew so concerned about President Donald Trump’s mental state that he secretly called China to tell them that the United States wasn’t about to start a war with them.

The phone calls took place leading up to the election and days after the January 6 riot.

Perhaps the most astonishing allegation stemming from the story is a quote provided by the Washington Post which shows Milley was willing to warn China if an attack was in the works.

“General Li [Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army of China], you and I have known each other for now five years. If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time,” Milley purportedly said.

He also allegedly instructed officers “not to take orders from anyone unless he was involved.”

RELATED: Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper Ordered ‘Backchannel’ Message To China Indicating Trump Would Not Attack

Mark Milley: Communicating With China Part Of My Job

General Mark Milley, in his opening statement during the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday, said his communications with China were a routine part of the job.

“I am specifically directed to communicate with the Chinese by Department of Defense Guidance, Policy Dialogue System,” Milley said.

“These military to military communications at the highest level are critical to the security of the United States in order to deconflict military actions, manage crisis and prevent war between great powers armed with nuclear weapons.”

As for those calling his actions akin to treason – including the former President – Milley refutes such claims.

“My loyalty to this nation, its people, and the Constitution hasn’t changed and will never change as long as I have a breath to give,” he said. “My loyalty is absolute, and I will not turn my back on the fallen.”

RELATED: Former Acting Defense Secretary Says He Never Authorized Milley’s China Call, Calls For Him To Resign

Milley Claims Trump Officials Knew

General Mark Milley’s further testimony claims Trump officials were not only aware of his calls with China but helped coordinate them.

Fox News reports that Milley’s calls to Li were “coordinated before and after” with then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper and then-acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller’s staff among others.

Esper, The Political Insider reported, ordered a “backchannel” message to reassure China the United States would not be seeking military action in the days leading up to the 2020 presidential election.

Miller, however, denied ever authorizing Mark Milley to speak with China and called for him to resign over the communications.

“If the reporting in Woodward’s book is accurate, it represents a disgraceful and unprecedented act of insubordination by the Nation’s top military officer,” Miller said.

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He would add that if 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.”

Milley stated that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows had both been informed of his call to China as well.

President Trump cast doubt on the story in general but said if true, Milley should be tried for “treason.”

“If the story of ‘Dumbass’ General Mark Milley … is true, then I assume he would be tried for TREASON in that he would have been dealing with his Chinese counterpart behind the President’s back and telling China that he would be giving them notification ‘of an attack,'” he said in a statement.

Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin has indicated Milley’s calls weren’t a secret and involved at least 15 others.

Milley would additionally claim that “by law” he is “not in the chain of command,” but is in the “chain of communication” regarding attack directives coming from the President.

 

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Rusty Weiss has been covering politics for over 15 years. His writings have appeared in the Daily Caller, Fox... More about Rusty Weiss

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