Dealing with Traitors, By Chris Knight (Florida)
One of Trump's greatest follies in his first term of office was the appointment of Mark Milley to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In such a position of power, he sought to undermine Trump, often to the degree of treason. Thus Milley was at the center of controversy following reports that he made two calls to Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People's Liberation Army to reassure him that the United States had no plans to launch a sudden attack or go to war with China. These calls were first revealed in excerpts from Peril, a recently released book by Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa.
Some U.S. lawmakers then accused Milley of exceeding his authority and urged President Joe Biden at the time to remove him from his position. Meanwhile, Trump condemned Milley as treasonous, referred to him as "a complete nutjob," and claimed he was never informed about the calls to China. But the calls were just one aspect of Milley's treachery, and he constantly worked to undermine Trump, as detailed below.
While a treason trial is unlikely, the Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Pentagon's inspector general to investigate the conduct of Miley under the Trump administration. Hegseth has also revoked Milley's security detail and suspended his security clearance. He could end up losing a star or two, which will hurt his ego, but is a far from adequate punishment for disobeying a commanding officer, which can be imprisonment in peace time and the death penalty in war.
"If President Trump had known in 2016 how arrogant a man Mark Milley was, he might never have appointed him to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Milley's treasonous behavior, spectacular incompetence, and rebelliousness against the president justify the punishment he is being ordered.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Pentagon's inspector general to investigate the 'conduct' of retired Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley — who at times clashed with President Trump during his first term — and determine whether it's appropriate he should be reduced in rank from his current four stars.
Hegseth also revoked Milley's security detail and suspended his security clearance.
Even though Milley is retired, he had an ongoing security detail through the Army as a result of Iranian threats in the wake of the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian [Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qasem] Soleimani. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and then-National Security Adviser John Bolton recently lost their security details on orders from Trump, who clashed with them as well.
When Trump first appointed Milley, he seemed like a reasonable choice; however, Milley seemed to have an exaggerated understanding of the power he wielded, and when Trump "defied," him, he was apparently insulted.
He frequently disagreed with Trump's decisions, and proceeded to undermine him.
Milley opposed Trump's interest in using military force to suppress protests following George Floyd's death and later found himself at the center of controversy in 2021 for independently contacting his Chinese counterpart. Trump denounced the calls as treason, while Milley defended them as routine and within his duties as Joint Chiefs Chairman.
He also accompanied the president to Lafayette Square to make a stand for law and order and in defiance of protestors there:
Trump, accompanied by top officials and with great fanfare, walked over to the church, damaged by fire the night before, minutes after protesters were cleared and following a Rose Garden speech promising to crack down on violent protests, ending his remarks by saying, '... and now I am going to pay my respects to a very, very special place.'
Citing interviews, radio dispatches, videos and other records from Park Police, the 38-page report echoes claims from senior Trump administration officials last year that the park wasn't cleared for Trump's controversial photo op.
Nevertheless, Milley considered Trump's actions political and apologized to the public for accompanying the president, in spite of Trump's actions that were intended to make a statement for law and order and in defiance of the protestors.
Given the extent of Hegseth's actions, he's also clearly trying to send a message to Milley: that he won't be intimidated by anyone at the Pentagon; the president has the last word, whether a general likes his decision or not; his amateur assessment of Trump's cognitive ability is irrelevant; his making excuses for accompanying the president to Lafayette Park was unprofessional. His Afghanistan pullout was worse. And his allegiance to the woke agenda would have made him a target, even if he hadn't already retired.
Remember, Milley, you could have retired much earlier if you didn't like working for the president.
It would have been good riddance.
Other ring knockers (Service Academy graduates) should take note."
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