Latest news with #Peril
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP senators renew call for DOD watchdog to probe former Joint Chiefs boss Milley for alleged misconduct
Republican senators are renewing calls for the Pentagon's watchdog to investigate alleged misconduct and efforts to "undermine the chain of command" by former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, Fox News Digital has learned. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., penned a letter obtained by Fox News Digital to the acting inspector general of the Department of Defense, Steven Stebbins, renewing their 2022 request for a review of Milley's conduct. Milley Still Hasn't Responded To Banks, Grassley Letter With Questions On 'Commitment To Civilian Control' "We are writing to ensure that our concerns about alleged misconduct by the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, are finally addressed," Grassley and Banks wrote. The two senators made a request for an independent review of the conduct on Aug. 17, 2022, when Banks was serving as the chair of the House Republican Study Committee, but the review was closed by the former inspector general "without ever providing acceptable answers to our questions." Grassley and Banks said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has since "revived this review," directing the acting inspector general to "conduct a review of General Milley's alleged misconduct, including his actions to 'undermine the chain of command.'" Read On The Fox News App Hegseth is also seeking answers on whether "enough evidence exists for General Milley to be stripped of a star in retirement." "The Secretary's request rungs parallel to ours," Grassley and Banks wrote, noting that Hegseth's request "takes priority," but requested that once his request is complete, they will expect "some long overdue answers." Trump Acting Defense Secretary Miller Says He 'Did Not' Authorize Milley China Calls, Says He Should Resign The senators' inquiry was triggered by "explosive statements" made by Milley in several books, including "Peril" by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. The book chronicled Milley making "disparaging remarks about his Commander-in-Chief" and attempting "to insert himself in the nuclear chain of command despite having no nuclear command authority," Grassley and Banks said. They also referenced a promise Milley made to his Chinese counterparts ahead of any potential U.S. attacks on Beijing. Fox News Digital reported in 2021 that Milley confirmed that he did, in fact, tell his Chinese counterpart that he would likely call ahead of any potential U.S. attacks on China, but he maintained that he had that conversation at the direction of then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper after assessing intelligence suggesting heightened Chinese concerns about escalation. Milley added, though, that he was "not going to tip off any enemy to what the United States is going to do in an actual plan." The book also chronicled comments in which Milley said he believed then-President Donald Trump "had gone into serious mental decline … and could go rogue and order military action or use nuclear weapons, without going through required procedures." Flashback: Milley Confirms He Told China He Would Call Ahead Of Us Attack, Claims Esper Ordered Calls Based On Intel The lawmakers also pointed to the book's report that Milley had to "take any and all necessary precautions" to prevent the former president from engaging in a "rogue" military action and he "wanted to find a way to inject, if not require, that second opinion." Grassley and Banks said that the Department of Defense's former inspector general's "refusal to investigate allowed Milley to dodge responsibility." "The nation's highest-ranking military officer has a solemn responsibility to set an example of excellence and to model good conduct for all American service members," they wrote. "The record suggests that General Milley failed to meet those standards." Grassley and Banks said Milley's "conduct and willful undermining of his Commander-in-Chief posed a grave threat to civilian control of the military." "The issues raised by Milley's alleged misconduct are too important to be swept under the rug," they wrote. "They must be examined, and if substantiated, General Milley should be held accountable." Grassley and Banks added that the acting inspector general's "full cooperation would be appreciated." Milley did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for article source: GOP senators renew call for DOD watchdog to probe former Joint Chiefs boss Milley for alleged misconduct
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pete Hegseth Cuts Security for General Trump Hates
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is stripping retired Gen. Mark Milley of his personal security detail and his security clearance, even as the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff faces death threats, Fox News reported Tuesday. As part of the latest instance of the Trump administration's retaliation against the man the president once suggested should be executed for treason, Hegseth will also consider removing a star from the general. According to Fox, Hegseth is directing the Pentagon's acting inspector general—who replaced the IG Trump fired on Friday—to look into whether Milley 'undermine[d] the chain of command' while he served in the White House. Milley, according to the 2021 book Peril by reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, twice told his Chinese counterpart after the Jan. 6 insurrection—when he believed Trump was in 'serious mental decline'—to say the U.S. military would not be striking China. After that revelation, Pentagon officials told Fox News that Milley 'did not try to insert himself in the chain of command regarding the launch of nuclear weapons, but he made sure everyone knew what their roles were and what they weren't.' Still, the acting IG will consider whether a loss in rank is appropriate. Additionally, Fox reported, the second of two portraits of Milley that had been hanging in the Pentagon will be coming down. The first only made it a few hours into Trump's second term. Following the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian military officer Qasem Soleimani in early January 2020, Milley and others involved in the decision—including former national security adviser John Bolton—were assigned personal security details given Iran's threat of retaliation. Trump removed Bolton's Secret Service protection and revoked his security clearance last week.
Fox News
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Pentagon pulling Gen. Milley's security detail and clearance 'immediately,' may face demotion in retirement
EXCLUSIVE: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will announce he is "immediately pulling" retired Gen. Mark Milley's personal security detail and security clearance, multiple senior administration officials tell Fox News. The secretary is also directing the new acting Inspector General to conduct a review board to determine if enough evidence exists for Gen. Milley to be stripped of a star in retirement based on his actions to "undermine the chain of command" during President Donald Trump's first term, officials say. The Pentagon will also be removing a second portrait of Gen. Milley inside the Pentagon. This one is from the Army's Marshall Corridor on the third floor honoring his service as chief-of-staff of the Army. Fox is told the removal of this second portrait will take place as soon as tonight. This means there will be no more portraits of Gen. Milley inside the Pentagon. The first portrait of Gen. Milley, from his time as the U.S. military's top officer, was removed from the Pentagon last week on Inauguration Day less than two hours after President Trump was sworn into office. The now retired Gen. Milley and other former senior Trump aides had been assigned personal security details ever since Iran vowed revenge for the killing of Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike in 2020 ordered by Trump in his first term. On "Fox News Sunday," the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Tom Cotton said he hoped President Trump would "revisit" the decision to pull the protective security details from John Bolton, Mike Pompeo and Brian Hook who previously served under Trump. Asked why these actions were being taken, a senior administration official who requested anonymity replied, "There is a new era of accountability in the Defense Department under President Trump's leadership—and that's exactly what the American people expect." Gen. Milley served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2019 to 2023 under both Presidents Trump and Biden. He served as the Army's chief of staff, the service's top officer, from 2015-2019. In his new book "War," Bob Woodward writes Gen. Milley told him at a reception at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. on March 6, 2023, that he believed Trump was "fascist to the core!" Gen. Milley was still serving in uniform as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when he reportedly made the remark. Woodward wrote that Gen. Milley, "shared with me his worries about Trump's mental stability and control of nuclear weapons," in a previous book. When the leader of ISIS was killed in a daring raid carried out by U.S. Special Operations Forces in Syria in October 2019, President Trump praised Milley. "I want to thank General Mark Milley and our Joint Chiefs of Staff, and I also want to thank our professionals who work in other agencies of the United States government and were critical to the mission's unbelievable success." Before leaving office, President Joe Biden pardoned Gen. Milley. In their book, "Peril," Bob Woodward and Robert Costa wrote that Gen. Milley called his Chinese counterpart on two occasions in the final months of Trump's first term, warning him the U.S. military had no plans to strike China in a bid to avert tensions between nuclear-armed countries.
Yahoo
26-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP Rep Calls For Court-Martialing Gen. Mark Milley, Former Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin
WASHINGTON ― Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) said in a recent interview that retired U.S. Army General Mark Milley and former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin should be court-martialed ― a military legal proceeding typically reserved for serious crimes ― because they made the Department of Defense too 'politicized' to win wars. 'We have the most highly educated and powerful military in the history of the world, and we have not won a war in 80 years,' Van Orden lamented during a little-noticed Jan. 15 interview on the Vicki McKenna Show, a right-wing radio show. He said the Department of Defense over the decades 'has become politicized,' and it reached its peak when it was run by Lloyd and Milley. 'Those guys need to be recalled to active duty and court-martialed for their disgraceful conduct,' said Van Orden. 'It's been terrible. They've broken the military.' The court martial process is the most severe legal proceeding that someone in the military can face. Commissioned officers and sometimes enlisted personnel serve as the jury in a trial for members of the armed forces. Military commanders typically initiate court-martial proceedings, but presidents technically have the power to convene a court-martial, too. There is no evidence that Milley or Austin committed any crimes during their active service, never mind severe crimes like felonies. Asked why he would propose such an extreme action or on what grounds, Van Orden railed against Milley and Austin but did not offer any evidence of criminal behavior. Instead, he complained about Milley making calls to his Chinese counterpart in the final months of Donald Trump's first presidency. Milley, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2019 to 2023, revealed in a 2021 book, Peril, that he was so worried about Trump potentially starting a war with China that he privately made two phone calls to General Li Zuocheng of the People's Liberation Army to assure him it would not happen. Milley said he feared that Trump, who spent months lying about widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, was poised to declare a national emergency and stay in power, despite losing the election. The retired U.S. Army general has denied any wrongdoing with his calls, saying they were part of his regular communications with global defense leaders. As for Austin, Van Orden criticized the former defense secretary for his role in President Joe Biden's withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. 'There is nothing more disgusting than when members of the Department of Defense (DoD) desert their duty of protecting American citizens and servicemembers,' the Wisconsin Republican said in a statement. 'General Mark Milley is a disgrace to the uniform for communicating with the Chinese Communist Party and compromising our national security,' said Van Orden. 'Secretary Lloyd Austin is a disgrace to the uniform by not fulfilling his duties of executing Noncombatant Evacuation Operations, not working with Secretary Blinken to fulfill the plan which resulted in the murdering of 13 U.S. servicemembers, and improperly evacuating every member of the military and abandoning civilians in Kabul.' Then, for some reason, Van Orden blamed HuffPost for making the world less secure. 'Leftist news organizations like the HuffPost should be ashamed,' he said. 'You all are complicit in the destruction of the DoD and making the world less secure by disguising political activism as journalism.' (Editor's note: America is facing the greatest challenge to our democratic experiment since the Civil War. HuffPost is not afraid, and our mission is clearer than ever: We won't back down when it comes to providing impartial journalism. Support our work here.) Milley did not respond to a request for comment. Austin could not be reached for comment. The real reason Van Orden is going after Milley is almost certainly because the retired U.S. Army general has publicly clashed with Trump in recent years, calling the president 'a total fascist' and 'the most dangerous person to this country.' Trump, who has vowed to use his authority to go after his critics, has already had Milley's portrait taken down at the Pentagon and stripped him of his role on the National Infrastructure Advisory Council on Tuesday. In anticipation of Trump potentially targeting Milley over personal grievances, Biden took the unusual step of issuing a preemptive pardon to the former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman in his final hours in office. Milley has previously said he feared that Trump would use his authority to court-martial him if he won reelection, fueled entirely by vengeance. 'He is a walking, talking advertisement of what he's going to try to do,' Milley recently told Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward for his upcoming book. 'He's saying it and it's not just him, it's the people around him.' A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
