Retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman called on Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to resign in response to a book that said Milley secretly promised his Chinese counterpart he would provide advance warning if former President Donald Trump ordered an attack on China.
Vindman, who served as director of European affairs for the National Security Council and was a key player in the Ukraine-focused impeachment proceedings against Trump, issued a tweet Tuesday in response to excerpts that were published from Peril, written by Watergate sleuth Bob Woodward and fellow Washington Post journalist Robert Costa.
“If this is true GEN Milley must resign. He usurped civilian authority, broke Chain of Command, and violated the sacrosanct principle of civilian control over the military,” Vindman tweeted.
If this is true GEN Milley must resign. He usurped civilian authority, broke Chain of Command, and violated the sacrosanct principle of civilian control over the military. It’s an extremely dangerous precedent. You can’t simply walk away from that. #dotherightthingintherightway https://t.co/izsMMCFPrz
— Alexander S. Vindman (@AVindman) September 14, 2021
“It’s an extremely dangerous precedent,” Vindman added. “You can’t simply walk away from that.”
Before and after the 2020 election, Milley was concerned that Trump might start a war with China and made assurances to try and avert armed conflict to Chinese Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army in a pair of secret calls, according to the book.
“General Li, 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. It’s not going to be a surprise,” Milley said to Li in one of the conversations, the book claimed.
The Pentagon did not comment on the book as of press time.
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Vindman, a recipient of the Purple Heart medal, gained national attention during the Ukraine-focused impeachment proceedings against Trump. Vindman wrote one of the reports about Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to the president being impeached by the House. Testifying to Congress in November 2019, Vindman said the president used “inappropriate” pressure on Zelensky to announce an investigation into now-President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.
Following Trump’s acquittal in the Senate, Vindman was ousted from his role on the National Security Counsel. He announced his retirement from the military in July 2020.
