Grassley, Banks light up Milley for side-stepping questions on Woodward book claims
July 16, 2022 | Kevin Haggerty | Print Article
As the sham January 6 committee hearings lumber on and corporate media perpetuates the narrative of a coup against the United States government despite the impossibility of such an outcome from the events that transpired, actual concerns about a potentially broken chain of command have remained unanswered by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, and congressional Republicans are telling him it's time to "honor your word."
Before then-President Donald Trump had suggested protesters make their voices peacefully heard by those on Capitol, and even before polls had opened for the 2020 presidential election, Milley was allegedly engaged in treasonous acts that, if true, would leave the nation at ongoing risk.
As previously reported, the book "Peril" by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa detailed claims that Milley had called his Chinese counterpart General Li days before the 2020 election to offer assurances of a warning should the United States military be ordered to attack, "If we're going to attack, I'm going to call you ahead of time. It's not going to be a surprise."
Now, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) are rekindling the demand for answers from Milley after months of dodging by the general. Speaking from the Senate floor Thursday, Grassley introduced the topic by recognizing the historic significance of our civilian-controlled military before he ripped into the severity of the claims that have remained unanswered by asking questions straight from the book, "Was he subverting the president?" and "Had he overstepped his authority and taken extraordinary power for himself?"
"Milley allegedly placed military hands — his hands — on control that belonged exclusively to the president," the Iowa lawmaker stated. "According to 'Peril,'… he summoned senior operation officers in the military command center to his office. He had them take 'an oath' not to 'act' on the president's orders without checking with him first."
Rightly asserting the threat level that the left has so often utilized for hyperbole, he went on, "These brazen words and actions, if accurate, strike at the heart of our democracy — civilian control of the military. They turn this guiding rule upside down and show utter contempt for the commander-in-chief coming from the nation's top general. They are dangerous and contrary to military code 10 US Code 888."
The code states, "Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President," among other ranking officials, "of any State, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct."
"I think I can legitimately ask, 'Is that Pentagon baloney, or what is it?'" Grassley noted of the ongoing efforts from himself and colleagues Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) who have been stonewalled by Milley who, "Nine months later…[is] still dodging the question with the same lame excuse," in answers to letters and missives sent his way despite the book asserting the general had "gone rogue."
Banks similarly implored action from the House floor as he stated, "Our Constitution is clear: the president is the commander-in-chief. Sidestepping the president and violating the chain of command is a grave crime."
"He hasn't responded. I am calling on Gen. Milley to set the record straight," Banks went on. "Gen. Milley is accused of secretly SEIZING the president's military powers. That is the most serious crime. If he is innocent, he has a duty to say so."
Grassley asserted, "I think Gen. Milley knows better. He knows the score. If those books and all attendant press coverage of those books had contained gross misrepresentations, we would have heard about it a long time ago. He would have hammered the authors and corrected the record. However, to date, not a peep from the general. His silence speaks volumes. Something doesn't smell just right. As a Pentagon watchdog, when I get a whiff of wrongdoing, I sink my teeth and don't let go."
"So Congressman Jim Banks, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, and I upped the ante on April the 11th with 12 pointed questions that we gave Gen. Milley a second bite at the apple to clear the air. Now, two and a half months later, we still have no response. Gen. Milley, you said you were going to answer for Sen. Blackburn's question," he concluded before demanding, "Honor your word. Answer the questions. Come clean with the American people. We are all ears."
Kevin Haggerty
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Northeast PA with his fiancé and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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