Donald Trump demands top US general’s execution for ‘treasonous act’.
Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came under fire last Friday from former US president Donald Trump for a phone call he made after the January 6 Capitol uprising and suggested that the top US military official be executed.
Regarding the matter, Milley stated in September 2021 that the call’s objective was to reassure China that Trump was not planning an invasion of the nation.
“I know, I am certain, that President Trump did not intend to attack the Chinese and it was my directed responsibility to convey presidential orders and intent,” Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
He added: “My task at that time was to de-escalate. My message again was consistent: Stay calm, steady, and de-escalate. We are not going to attack you.”
Additionally, according to The Atlantic, the said phone call “was, in fact, explicitly authorized by Trump-administration officials.”
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“This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH! A war between China and the United States could have been the result of this treasonous act. To be continued!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social last Friday.
Donald Trump demands top US general’s execution for ‘treasonous act’, check the Tweet:
I take a light day or two and come back to Trump wanting to execute Mark Milley.
But tell me more about how both sides are just the same. pic.twitter.com/PC4Lr9Tld6
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) September 24, 2023
Hopping on the criticism bandwagon, far-right Republican Paul Gosar, R-Ariz, in his weekly email newsletter, accused Milley of being responsible for the delayed deployment of the National Guard on January 6, calling him “a homosexual-promoting, BLM-activist Chairman of the military joint chiefs.”
He continued: “In a better society, quislings like the strange sodomy-promoting General Milley would be hung.”
According to CNN, Milley’s staff checks Fox News transcripts to see if he is mentioned, a practice that top Fox personalities have criticized as slander. The act, however, draws attention to Milley’s longstanding connections to military politics.
Milley’s political savviness and capacity for tactful silence in the face of Trump’s demands made him a career standout.
An ex-senior aide explained that even though Milley claimed to be apolitical, he had to cooperate with politicians from both parties to carry out his duties in Washington, a city that by its very nature is political.
Republican lawmakers and Trump supporters heavily criticized Milley during the final year of Trump’s presidency, accusing him of promoting a “woke” military and undermining civilian control.
Milley has rejected culture-war claims, telling CNN earlier this month, “This military is a lot of things, but woke, it’s not. So I take exception to that. I think that people say those things for reasons that are their own reasons, but it’s not true.”
