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WASHINGTON — 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 this successful the telephone calls that person triggered outrage from immoderate lawmakers.
Army Gen. Mark Milley, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivered a vehement defence of 2 calls helium made to his Chinese counterpart, saying helium was responding to a “significant grade of 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 by the caput to convey that intent to the Chinese,” Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “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 contention aft reports that helium made 2 calls to Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army to guarantee him that the United States was not abruptly going to 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.
While Tuesday’s proceeding mostly focused connected the unit withdrawal from Afghanistan and the chaotic evacuation of Americans, Afghans and others from the country, a fewer senators condemned Milley for what they saw arsenic inappropriate communications with Li.
In his astir extended comments to day connected the matter, Milley said 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. And helium said that specified military-to-military communications are captious to forestall warfare betwixt large powers that person atomic weapons.
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 Secretary Mark Esper and the 2nd was done astatine the petition of the Chinese and coordinated with then-acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller’s office.
Asked if helium spoke with the book’s authors and if his remarks were “accurately represented,” Milley said helium spoke with Woodward and that helium has not work the publication but has seen property reports connected it.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., asked that helium supply much answers erstwhile he’s work the book. She and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., questioned whether Milley shared backstage statesmanlike conversations with the authors.
Milley said helium did not leak backstage conversations helium had with Trump, and said helium routinely speaks with the media to supply accusation and transparency to the American people.
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 place, and I repeatedly assured her determination is nary accidental of an illegal, unauthorized oregon accidental launch,” Milley said.
The publication asserts that during the call, Milley agreed with Pelosi’s connection that Trump was suffering a intelligence diminution aft the election. During Tuesday’s hearing, Milley appeared to discount that, saying “I americium not qualified to find the intelligence wellness of the president of the United States.”
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 authorization 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.
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