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.