Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley defended the calls he made to his Chinese counterpart in the final days of the Trump presidency, describing it as within his job description.
The general reached out to Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army days before the 2020 presidential election and shortly after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to reassure the Chinese that an attack was not incoming. The revelation, which has resulted in calls for him to be fired, was first reported in a new book by Watergate journalist Bob Woodward and Washington Post reporter Robert Costa.
Milley made the phone calls, which he described as “routine” and “perfectly within the duties and responsibilities” of his role, in order “to reassure both allies and adversaries in this case in order to ensure strategic stability,” he told the Associated Press on Friday.
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He reportedly told Li, “If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time. It’s not going to be a surprise,” raising questions as to whether he was usurping the president’s authority.
The book said Milley made the calls in part because he was fearful of military action from Donald Trump during the final period of his presidency. Trump said earlier this week that if the book’s reporting is accurate, Milley should be tried for treason.
He decided not to elaborate further, noting that he is set to testify in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee later this month with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Frank McKenzie.
“I think it’s best that I reserve my comments on the record until I do that in front of the lawmakers who have the lawful responsibility to oversee the U.S. military,” Milley told the Associated Press. “I’ll go into any level of detail Congress wants to go into in a couple of weeks.”
Then-Secretary of Defense Mark Esper was the individual responsible for the calls to China in part because they were worried about increased U.S. activity in the South China Sea, according to the Washington Post. One senior Trump official told the outlet that Milley “was absolutely not going rogue,” while several Trump White House officials said they were not informed of the call.”
Both the White House and the Pentagon have defended Milley’s calls to his Chinese counterpart and said they retain confidence in him.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby repeatedly declined to answer specific questions about the phone call between Milley and Li, though he said such conversations with foreign counterparts are within the chairman’s role, while White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, “The president has complete confidence in his leadership, his patriotism, and his fidelity to our Constitution.”
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A spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff also issued a statement on Wednesday defending the calls.
Milley “regularly communicates with Chiefs of Defense across the world, including with China and Russia,” Joint Staff spokesman Col. Dave Butler said in a statement. “These conversations remain vital to improving mutual understanding of U.S. national security interests, reducing tensions, providing clarity and avoiding unintended consequences or conflict.”
