'You have the back of your president not China': Nikki Haley condemns Gen Milley over 'secret' calls to Chinese general and says he faces a grilling in Senate hearing later this month
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Thursday there was room for only one president at a time as she blasted Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley for going behind former President Trump's back with calls to his Chinese counterpart.
'You don't have the back of the Chinese, you have the back of your president,' she told Fox News.
Hers is the latest Republican voice to condemn Milley amid reports he told his Chinese counterpart he would warn him if Trump decided to attack China.
Critics have accused him of treason while supporters say it was simply a matter of keeping open lines of communication.
Haley said she had seen first time during her time in the Trump administration how other members thought they knew better than the president.
'That's a very dangerous thing,' she said.
Nikki Haley became the latest Republican to condemn Gen. Mark Milley for calls to a Chinese general in which he promised to alert China if former President Trump planned to launch an attack. 'There is only one president at a time,' she said
Milley's office said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff regularly had conversations with his counterparts around the world. 'These conversations remain vital to improving mutual understanding of U.S. national security interests, reducing tensions, providing clarity and avoiding unintended consequences or conflict,' it said.
She said there was nothing unusual about Milley having calls with the Chinese. The problem was the manner in which he did, she explained.
'There is only one president at a time,' she said. 'And for you to go and have the call with the Chinese, there's nothing wrong with that.
'For you not to tell the president that you had that call with the Chinese and for him not to be aware, that's the problem.'
And she added he would have tough questions to answer at a Sept. 28 Senate hearing.
Haley is seen as a likely 2024 runner for the Republican presidential nomination. However, she has fallen out with Trump, which could cost her the support of the party base.
Her criticism of Milley comes after Trump himself condemned the man he appointed as his most senior military adviser as 'a complete nutjob.'
He accused Biden of covering for Milley because of 'dirty secrets' the general may know about Biden's chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal.
'Milley never told me about calls being made to China. From what I understand, he didn’t tell too many other people either,' he said in a statement on Wednesday evening.
On Wednesday Milley admitted to making calls to his Chinese counterpart, both before the election and in January, after claims he went behind Trump's back for fear of rogue action the then-president may take.
Details were first revealed in excerpts from 'Peril,' a new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa to be published next week.
It said Milley was concerned Trump might launch strikes on China after losing November's election to Biden.
Trump has been attacking Milley since the allegations he made secret calls to China first broke earlier this week
Biden and other top White House officials defended Milley on Wednesday as Republicans came down hard against the embattled general
Former President Trump lashed out at the general he appointed to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a statement on Wednesday evening
'He put our country in a very dangerous position but President Xi knows better, and would’ve called me,' Trump continued.
'The way Milley and the Biden administration handled the Afghanistan withdrawal, perhaps the most embarrassing moment in our country’s history, would not exactly instill fear in China.'
'The only reason Biden will not fire or court-martial Milley is because he doesn’t want him spilling the dirty secrets on Biden’s deadly disaster in Afghanistan.'
Trump appointed Milley to lead the Joint Chiefs in 2018 and he took over the role in 2019.
In a similar statement Tuesday night the ex-president called Milley a 'dumba--' and again blamed him for the crisis in Afghanistan.
'Actions should be taken immediately against Milley, and better generals in our Military, of which we have many, should get involved so that another Afghanistan disaster never happens again,' Trump said in the previous statement. 'Remember, I was the one who took out 100% of the ISIS Caliphate. Milley said it couldn’t be done!'
He added, 'For the record, I never even thought of attacking China—and China knows that. The people that fabricated the story are sick and demented, and the people who print it are just as bad.'
Trump's acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller has also called for General Mark Milley to resign.
Milley has been branded 'a danger to the country who secretly collaborated with our greatest military rival' by Tucker Carlson, who went on on to rail against Biden's endorsement of the disgraced general.
'In Washington, colluding with the Chinese government is not considered a sin. It's not even weird,' he said.
Miller, who led the Pentagon when Milley made the call in January, said he 'did not and would not ever authorize' the general to have the 'secret' calls and urged him to resign from his post.
'The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest-ranking military officer whose sole role is providing military-specific advice to the president, and by law is prohibited from exercising executive authority to command forces,' Miller told Fox News.
Meanwhile White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reaffirmed the administration's support for Milley, lauding him as a 'patriot' and urged people to remember Trump's final two months in office.
'The outgoing president of the United States, during this period of time, fomented unrest leading to an insurrection and an attack on our nation’s Capitol on January 6,' she said, adding that it was 'one of the darkest days in our nation’s history.'
She added: 'There was broad concern from a range of members of his national security team about his behavior and fitness for office.'
Miller (pictured), who led the Pentagon when Milley made the call in January, said he 'did not and would not ever authorize' the general to have the 'secret' calls and urged him to resign from his post.
Tucker Carlson meanwhile branded Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley as 'a danger to the country who secretly collaborated with our greatest military rival'
President Biden reaffirmed his support for General Milley on Wednesday after an event with business leaders discussing COVID strategy
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also weighed in, saying that if the call did take place then China could 'use it to their advantage', and described Milley's decision to make an unauthorized call to Chinese generals as 'treasonous'.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden declared he has 'great confidence' in Milley after the embattled military man admitted to making the unauthorized call on Wednesday without the knowledge of the Pentagon chief or President Trump.
'I have great confidence in General Milley,' Biden said to reporters on Wednesday afternoon.
Yesterday, Tucker Carlson highlighted Milley's recent favourable comments about China, and questioned whether the general was fit to occupy his position.
'Milley thinks China is winning, and so he's sucking up to his new masters, so he tells us, "Russia’s the only country on Earth that has the capacity to destroy the United States." That's absurd.
'Nobody believes that. The Chinese military is far, far more powerful than anything Vladimir Putin controls. It's not even close.
'Milley knows that, he's lying about it.'
Carlson continued: 'Oh, we don't want to jump to conclusions yet. Really? What conclusions? How much more evidence do you need exactly? And why does no one in Washington consider this a crisis?
'The leadership of the Pentagon, some of them, anyway, constitute a threat to the United States.'
Miller meanwhile pointed out that the chain of command goes from the president to Defense chief, not through Milley's position.
His former chief of staff Kash Patel told Fox, 'The law governing the Joint Chiefs of Staff specifically forbids the chairman from exercising any operational command authority.'
The outlet also reported the call placed in October was coordinated with then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who was fired shortly after the election.
Mike Pompeo said: 'If you had a senior military leader who was simply an advisor tell the Chinese Communist Party that they would get notice of an attack, this rivals anything we've seen in our nation's history.
'Only the President of the United States has the capacity to make those decisions, and I'd be shocked if the then-acting Secretary of Defense gave him any authority to even contemplate that very conversation.
'I imagine it would be treasonous.'
But current Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is standing behind Milley.
'He has full trust and confidence in Milley and the job that he's doing,' Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing on Wednesday.
Kirby declined to comment on reports that the general told his Chinese counterpart that he would give China a 'heads up' if Trump decided to strike.
'I'm not going to speak to unconfirmed reports from a book that we haven't looked at and read yet, and certainly not to a conversation that took place before the administration took office,' he said.
But he added that 'chairmen across multiple administrations' routinely have 'direct channel communications with their counterparts in other countries.'
'It is particularly important to have those communications with a nation-state with which there are real and significant tensions to try and reduce those, clear things up, make sure you reduce the risk of miscalculation.
I think you saw in the statement the chairman's office put out earlier today, that was exactly what was behind the context for this particular call,' he said.
Kirby said the calls took place during 'a difficult time in our nation's history.'
The spokesman was vague when he was pressed on whether it was normal for a Joint Chiefs chairman to not consult the president before contacting a foreign counterpart.
One reporter asked if Milley should be court-martialed - prompting Kirby to exclaim 'Oh my goodness.'
'I can't speak to processes before this administration took office - I just can't,' an exasperated Kirby said.
But he admitted that it was 'typical' for conversations with a country like China would be a 'fully coordinated conversation.'
Retired General Jack Keane said on Fox that he takes Milley at his word and called his actions 'responsible.'
Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton also expressed support for the embattled chairman, noting the 'pressures' he would have been under in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
'I have no doubt General Milley consulted widely with his colleagues on the National Security Council and others during this period,' Bolton said in a statement Wednesday. 'I would also be very surprised if many of them were not fully aware of General Milley's actions, and they fully concurred in them.'
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reaffirmed the administration's support for Milley, lauding him as a 'patriot.'
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby shrugged when he was asked to confirm whether it was White House policy 'that there was no senior government engagement with China' at the time Milley made the call
'The president knows General Milley,' Psaki said at her daily news briefing on Wednesday. 'They have worked side by side through a range of international events.'
'The president has complete confidence in his leadership, his patriotism and his fidelity to our Constitution.'
She noted that Milley held his position heading the Joint Chiefs for eight months of Biden's presidency.
Psaki then went on to provide 'context' to the period in which Milley made the calls.
'The outgoing president of the United States, during this time, fomented unrest, leading to an insurrection and an attack on our nation's Capitol on January 6th.'
She called it 'one of the darkest days in our nation's history.'
'I can't speak to the former president's experience with him or the former president's views of him. But this president - this current president, who follows the Constitution, who's not fomenting an insurrection, who follows the rule of law, has complete confidence in Chairman Milley and him continuing to serve in his role,' Psaki said.
Psaki spoke in defense of Milley at her daily White House news briefing
Biden 'has worked side by side with Chairman Milley for almost eight months, as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs,' Psaki said at the briefing
She also took a swipe at Republican lawmakers.
'I don't think the president is looking for the guidance of members of Congress who stood by while the president of the United States and the leader of their party fomented an insurrection and many of them are silent.'
Asked whether Biden believes Milley should testify, Psaki deferred to the Pentagon.
The Biden official was also pressed on Trump's Tuesday accusation that Milley committed 'treason.'
'I don’t think I have any further response to the former president, other than to reiterate the context of this moment in time, what everybody’s talking about here,' Psaki answered.
She was also questioned on whether there are concerns over the US military's chain of command, but used the moment to reaffirm Biden's support for Milley using the same points.
'Again, I think why it was important for me to convey what I did, is that the president has worked side by side with Chairman Milley for almost eight months, as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
'His experience with him has been that he is a patriot, he is somebody who has fidelity to the Constitution, and he is confident in his leadership and the role he has played in his experience with him.'
She added that she couldn't 'speak to anonymous, unconfirmed reports about prior conversations during the last administration.’
Milley maintains in the statement that the calls were 'vital' to 'avoiding unintended consequences,' but seemed to dispute that they were done in secret.
Multiple journalists posted the lengthy statement on Twitter, reportedly issued by Milley's spokesperson Colonel Dave Butler.
'The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs regularly communicates with Chiefs of Defense across the world, including with China and Russia,' the statement began.
'These conversations remain vital to improving mutual understanding of U.S. national security interests, reducing tensions, providing clarity and avoiding unintended consequences or conflict.
'His calls with the Chinese and others in October and January were in keeping with these duties and responsibilities conveying reassurance in order to maintain strategic stability.'
In his statement Milley claimed that the phone calls were done in coordination with other Pentagon officials.
'All calls from the Chairman to his counterparts, including those reported, are staffed, coordinated and communicated with the Department of Defense and the interagency.
'Also in keeping with his responsibilities as senior military advisor to the President and Secretary of Defense, General Milley frequently conducts meetings with uniformed leaders across the Services to ensure all leaders are aware of current issues.
'The meeting regarding nuclear weapons protocols was to remind uniformed leaders in the Pentagon of the long-established and robust procedures in light of media reporting on the subject.'
'General Milley continues to act and advise within his authority in the lawful tradition of civilian control of the military and his oath to the Constitution.'
But a number of right-wing figures denounced Milley as a 'traitor'
'If the allegations are true, Gen Milley should go down in history as a traitor to the American people,' Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs wrote on Twitter Wednesday.
Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia demanded on Twitter that the transcripts of Milley's phone calls be released.
Senator Marco Rubio recorded a video message following the release of Milley's statement.
'What I was hoping we would have today is a denial - that this is not true, this is all made up,' the Florida Republican said.
He questioned assurances that there was nothing unusual about the calls.
'If these are normal phone calls like the kinds he makes every night, then why is this a story?' Rubio asked.
Rubio accused Milley of being the source who first told Bob Woodward and Robert Costa of the calls when they were compiling information for their book 'Peril.'
'I think he talked to them. I think he portrayed it that way, I think he told them this wasn't normal, I had to do this for the good of our country - because he wanted to make himself look good,' Rubio said.
Trump accused Milley of being a 'treasonous' after the allegations in the new book surfaced
Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas told Fox he would be calling for an investigation into Milley and said the general should be incarcerated.
'If this is true, he needs to be held accountable. And when I say "held accountable," I’m not talking about just resigning or quitting,' Jackson said. 'I’m talking about potentially going to prison if this is true. I mean, this is treason. These are high crimes.'
The allegations that Milley broke the chain of command to make the 'secret calls' are part of 'Peril,' a book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa.
The account is set to hit shelves on September 21.
It claims Milley made secret calls to his counterpart in Beijing while Trump was president.
In it, the Washington Post journalists allege that he went behind Trump's back to promise China to warn them if the U.S. planned to attack.
Milley reportedly sought to assure General Li Zuocheng of the People's Liberation Army in China that the U.S. was not about to launch strikes in a pair of phone calls.
In one call he said he would use backchannels to alert his counterpart if an attack were imminent.
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