A new book- ‘Peril’ by renowned journalist Bob Woodward and veteran Washington Post reporter Robert Costa has sent shockwaves after an excerpt of the book detailing a planned coup against former US President Donald Trump surfaced in the media.
Reportedly, General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Trump administration, placed roadblocks in front of former US President Donald Trump and had made secret calls to his Chinese counterparts.
Milley allegedly had promised China to give them an “advanced notice” if Trump decided to order a strike against China. Milley was concerned about Trump’s mental health especially after the January 6 attack on the Capitol. He also assumed Trump’s ability to call for a nuclear attack.
‘Trump could go rogue’
The book details a conversation Milley had with other senior officials emphasizing on Trump’s rogue behavior.
“You never know what a president’s trigger point is,” said Milley to an official as per the book. In an unprecedented move, Milley called for a secret meeting and ordered senior military officials in charge of the National Military Command Center to not take orders from anyone unless he was involved.
“No matter what you are told, you do the procedure. You do the process. And I’m part of that procedure,” instructed Milley.
Calls to China
Milley, reportedly concerned with Trump’s behaviour, had made two back-channel phone calls with China’s top general and assured them of warning in advance in case Trump orders an attack against China.
The first call took place on Oct. 30, a few days before the 2020 election when China expressed concerns over Trump launching an attack because of tensions in the South China Sea.
“Gen. Li, I want to assure you that the American government is stable and everything is going to be OK,” Milley told the Chinese general. “We are not going to attack or conduct any kinetic operations against you,” he reiterated.
If this is true GEN Milley must resign. He usurped civilian authority, broke Chain of Command, and violated the sacrosanct principle of civilian control over the military. It’s an extremely dangerous precedent. You can’t simply walk away from that. #dotherightthingintherightway https://t.co/izsMMCFPrz
— Alexander S. Vindman (@AVindman) September 14, 2021
“Gen. Li, you and I have known each other for now five years. If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time. It’s not going to be a surprise,” assured Milley.
The second call was made on January 8 when once again Milley promised China of ‘no attack.’
“We are 100% steady. Everything’s fine. But democracy can be sloppy sometimes,” Milley told Li.
“He’s been crazy for a long time”
Amidst the Capitol Hill attack, Milley also received a call from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the transcript of which was obtained by Woodward and Costa.
A frantic Pelosi said, “You know he’s crazy. He’s been crazy for a long time.”
“What I’m saying to you is that if they couldn’t even stop him from an assault on the Capitol, who even knows what else he may do? And is there anybody in charge at the White House who was doing anything but kissing his fat butt all over this?” continued Pelosi.
Milley then reportedly assured Pelosi that the nuclear weapons were safe.
The book has been written using accounts of over 200 people most of whom did not wish to be named. Authors Woodward and Costa tried interviewing both Trump and Biden for the book but they declined.
The book is expected to launch on September 21.
I don’t care what you think of President Trump, the Chairman of the JCOS working to subvert the military chain of command and collude with China is exactly what we do not accept from military leaders in our country. He should be court martialed if true. https://t.co/cqWo2rXLEC
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 15, 2021
"A nation cannot survive treason from within. A traitor appears no traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to victims. He rots soul of a nation; he works secretly to undermine pillars of a city; he infects the body politic. A murderer is less to be feared."
— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.substack.com (@JordanSchachtel) September 14, 2021
-Cicero on Mark Milley
Following the revelations, Milley is being called widely a “Traitor”, for going against his commander in chief and working in collaboration with another country.
