In an interview on “60 Minutes” on Wednesday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley said he will take “appropriate measures” to make sure he and his family are safe in the wake of re…

In an interview on “60 Minutes” on Wednesday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley said he will take “appropriate measures” to make sure he and his family are safe in the wake of recent comments made by former President Trump.

Milley’s words come after a Truth Social post by Trump last week calling the chairman a “Woke train wreck” and accusing him of treason, seeming to reference calls made by Milley to China for reassurance at the end of Trump’s term.

“This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!” Trump’s post read. “A war between China and the United States could have been the result of this treasonous act. To be continued!!!”

“I’ve got adequate safety precautions,” the military leader said in response to a question about his concern about his safety from CBS’s Norah O’Donnell.

    • Muehe@lemmy.ml
      34·
      1 year ago

      Basically in his role as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (a council of the different military branches) he called his Chinese counterpart during the election chaos to assure them Trump couldn’t unilaterally declare war on China:

      Woodward and Costa describe how Milley learned in October 2020 that the Chinese had become concerned that Trump would preemptively attack China because Trump was losing the 2020 election and his rhetoric against China was growing increasingly hostile.

      Milley again called his Chinese counterpart on Jan. 8, 2021, two days after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, to again reassure him that the American government was stable and not an immediate threat to China.

      Source

      • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
        11·
        1 year ago

        That sounds more like the actuoi of someone desperai trying to put out fires whilst Trump was tossing gasoline everywhere

      • Maeve@kbin.social
        119·
        1 year ago

        I’m curious as to what tfg was involved with, wrt China. There’s something he’s afraid will come out.

      • Fisk400@feddit.nu
        4·
        1 year ago

        In general or was there a specific Mike Pence situation where he just refused to commit treason?

        • Heresy_generator@kbin.social
          13·
          1 year ago

          Reportedly Milley anticipated Trump attempting a coup and actively worked behind the scenes to make sure it wouldn’t work.

          https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/15/politics/milley-trump-politics-january-6/index.html

          Milley was deeply concerned Trump and his allies might attempt a coup after the November 2020 election, and he compared Trump’s lies about election fraud to the rhetoric used by Adolf Hitler as he rose to power in Germany.

          “This is a Reichstag moment,” Milley told his aides, according to the book. “The gospel of the Führer.”
          …
          The official acknowledged that during the final weeks of the Trump administration, Milley engaged in activities and communications not part of the traditional portfolio of a Joint Chiefs chairman, carrying a heavier political load to keep Trump in check. While Milley “tried his hardest to actively stay out of politics,” the official said, if the events that occurred brought him into that arena temporarily, “so be it.”

          “He’s not going to sit in silence while people try to use the military against Americans,” the official said.
          …
          After the election, Trump’s blustery rhetoric turned into action when he fired Esper and installed loyalists at the Pentagon, raising Milley’s fears that Trump or his allies could try to attempt a coup to overturn the election results.

          According to Leonnig and Rucker, Milley was shaken by the threat of a coup and felt he had to be “on guard” for what might come.

          “They may try, but they’re not going to f**king succeed,” Milley told his deputies, according to the authors. “You can’t do this without the military. You can’t do this without the CIA and the FBI. We’re the guys with the guns.”

          Milley and the rest of the Joint Chiefs informally planned for what they would do in the event of an order they deemed illegal, dangerous or ill-advised, including a proposal to resign, one-by-one, rather than carry out the orders.

          After the January 6 attack, Milley and the entire Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a statement condemning the “sedition and insurrection” of the rioters who breached the Capitol and attacked police officers.

          Milley focused his efforts on ensuring there was a “ring of steel” around the city for the January 20 inauguration of President Joe Biden, according to Leonnig and Rucker. “We’re going to put a ring of steel around this city and the Nazis aren’t getting in,” Milley said.

          They hate him because he lived up to his oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. They hate him because he’s an actual patriot.

          • cybersandwich@lemmy.world
            3·
            1 year ago

            Holy shit. I feel like I was living under a blanket or something. I didn’t realize how much Milley actually suspected and anticipated a coup attempt.

            That is FUCKING insane. Jan 6 was incredibly bad, but that the joint chiefs actively suspected an attempt at a coup is something altogether insane. If he wins this next election I don’t think we’ll have another.

            • Muehe@lemmy.ml
              2·
              1 year ago

              I feel like I was living under a blanket or something.

              I mean I guess. Didn’t lots of people on “the left” (by American standards) suspect something like this to happen? Think of the man what you will, but that comedian Bill Maher predicted it since before Trump was sworn into office, kept saying it for four years straight at every opportunity.