Milley defends calls to Chinese at end of Trump presidency

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and ROBERT BURNS

WASHINGTON (AP) — The apical U.S. subject serviceman told Congress connected Tuesday that helium knew erstwhile President Donald Trump wasn’t readying to onslaught China and that it was his occupation to reassure the Chinese of that information successful telephone calls that person triggered outrage from immoderate lawmakers.

Army Gen. Mark Milley, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivered a full-throated defence of 2 calls helium made to his Chinese counterpart, saying helium was responding to “concerning intelligence” that China was disquieted astir a U.S. attack.

“I know, I americium certain, that President Trump did not mean to onslaught the Chinese and it was my directed work to convey statesmanlike orders and intent,” Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee connected Tuesday. “My task astatine that clip was to de-escalate. My connection again was consistent: Stay calm, steady, and de-escalate. We are not going to onslaught you.”

Milley has been astatine the halfway of a firestorm amid reports helium made 2 calls to Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army to guarantee him that the United States was not going to abruptly spell to warfare with oregon onslaught China. Details of the calls were archetypal aired successful excerpts from the precocious released publication “Peril” by Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa.

Some U.S. lawmakers person said Milley overstepped his authority, and they person called for President Joe Biden to occurrence him. Trump blasted Milley arsenic treasonous, called him “a implicit nutjob” and said Milley “never told maine astir calls being made to China.”

In his astir extended comments to day connected the matter, Milley said that the calls connected Oct. 30 and Jan. 8 were afloat coordinated with the defence secretaries astatine the clip arsenic good arsenic different U.S. nationalist information agencies.

The calls came during Trump’s turbulent past months successful bureau arsenic helium challenged the results of the 2020 election. The 2nd telephone came 2 days aft Jan. 6, erstwhile a convulsive mob attacked the U.S. Capitol successful an effort to forestall Congress from certifying Biden’s White House victory.

Milley said the October telephone was made astatine the absorption of then-Defense main Mark Esper and the 2nd was done astatine the petition of the Chinese and coordinated with then-acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller’s office.

Milley besides addressed a telephone helium received from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He said Pelosi “called maine to inquire astir the president’s quality to motorboat atomic weapons. I sought to guarantee her that atomic motorboat is governed by a precise circumstantial and deliberate process.”

He said helium assured her that portion the president is the sole atomic motorboat authority, “he doesn’t motorboat them alone.” He said that arsenic president helium is portion of the motorboat determination process.

“There are processes, protocols, and procedures successful spot and I repeatedly assured her determination is nary accidental of an illegal, unauthorized, oregon accidental launch,” Milley said.

He said that aft the telephone was over, helium had a abbreviated gathering with unit to spell implicit the process. He besides said helium informed Miller of the telephone astatine the time.

“At nary clip was I attempting to alteration oregon power the process, usurp authority, oregon insert myself successful the concatenation of command, but I americium expected, I americium required, to springiness my proposal and guarantee that the president is afloat informed,” Milley said.

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This communicative has been corrected to amusement Chris Miller was acting defence secretary, not secretary.