Outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, along with an absurd assist from CBS News, has proven yet again that mere words shouldn’t get in the way of a good story.
To hear Milley tell it, former President Donald Trump called for his execution, and now the nation’s highest-ranking military officer is taking “appropriate measures” to ensure the Orange Man doesn’t kill him and his family.
It’s a bizarre response, given that Trump never said any such thing.
Last week on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Mark Milley, who led perhaps the most embarrassing moment in American history with his grossly incompetent implementation of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, costing many lives, leaving behind hundreds of American citizens, and handing over BILLIONS of dollars of the finest military equipment ever made, will be leaving the military next week.”
“This will be a time for all citizens of the USA to celebrate!” the GOP primary frontrunner stated. “This guy turned out to be a Woke train wreck who, if the Fake News reporting is correct, was actually dealing with China to give them a heads up on the thinking of the President of the United States.”
As BizPac Review reported, according to CNN, two days after the Jan. 6 riot, Milley “single-handedly took top-secret action to limit Trump from potentially ordering a dangerous military strike or launching nuclear weapons.”
Milley conspired with China amid ‘top-secret’ moves to prevent Trump from launching nuclear weapons, book claims https://t.co/sR5Aj5K63Y pic.twitter.com/Pki1kuFiY7
— BPR (@BIZPACReview) September 15, 2021
The claim originally came from Bob Woodward and Washington Post reporter Robert Costa, authors of the book “Peril.”
Woodward and Costa went on to say that Milley was in contact with his Chinese counterpart, having made at least two “backchannel” phone calls following the Capitol breach due to the “extraordinary risk” to U.S. national security it allegedly posed.
“This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!” Trump said. “A war between China and the United States could have been the result of this treasonous act. To be continued!!!”
To be clear, nowhere in that post did Donald Trump threaten Mark Milley.
He simply called Milley’s actions “treasonous” and correctly noted the crime’s maximum penalty, as detailed in the U.S. Code of Laws: “Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”
Milley presumably knows this law, and one must assume that CBS News correspondent Norah O’Donnell knows it, too, but that didn’t stop the duo from acting as though Trump was already preparing a noose with Milley’s name on it.
“He is suggesting that you be punished by death,” O’Donnell said during an interview for an upcoming episode of “60 Minutes.”
The host all but gasped as she emphasized, “The former commander-in-chief to his former top military adviser.”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley is responding to comments by former President Donald Trump suggesting that Milley deserves to be executed for communications the general had with China. https://t.co/gOlcC0rE41 pic.twitter.com/pSgO9mNcEY
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) September 27, 2023
“That’s right, he said that,” Milley said, assuming his most solemn stare. “That’s correct.”
Milley then pulled the “patriotic soldier” card and ensured that viewers are aware of how much he and his family have “sacrificed” for this country.
“Look, I’m a soldier. I’ve been faithful and loyal to the Constitution of the United States for 44 and a half years, and my family and I have sacrificed greatly for this country, and my mother and father before them,” Milley said. “And, you know, as much as these comments are directed at me, it’s also directed at the institution of the military, and there’s 2.1 million of us in uniform, and the American people can take it to the bank that all of us, every single one of us, from private to general, were loyal to that Constitution and will never turn our back on it, no matter what.”
“No matter what the threats,” Milley stressed, “no matter what the humiliation, no matter what.”
One could almost hear a chorus of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” swell behind him.
“If we’re willing to die for that document, if we’re willing to deploy to combat, if we’re willing to lose an arm, a leg, an eye to protect and support and defend that document, and protect the American people, then we’re willing to live for it too,” he said in his most Alpha Male tone. “So I’m not gonna comment directly on those things, but I can tell you that this military, this soldier, me, will never turn our back on that Constitution.”
Asked, “For the record, was there anything inappropriate or treasonous about the calls you made to China?” Milley insisted, “Absolutely not. Zero. None.”
Seemingly satisfied with Milley’s response, O’Donnell turned back to the murderous Trump.
“It almost seems odd to ask this question because the former Command-In-Chief seems to be calling for your execution,” she said, “are you worried about your safety?”
“I’ve got adequate safety precautions,” the general assured her. “I wish those comments had not been made, but they were, and we’ll take appropriate measures to ensure my safety and the safety of my family.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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