Startling revelations in the new Woodward-Costa book

Republican partisans will probably view General Milley as a traitor, but History will look upon him as saving the world from a crazy man; for example, that in order to win popularity with the voters Gen. Milley was concerned that Trump might either launch an attack on China or Iran. These concerns were not imaginary, apparently Trump had made overtures along these lines. General Milley was instrumental in preventing Trump from giving in to his crazy impulses.

The book reveals how General Milley spoke with numerous pentagon officials to place limits on any potential nuclear strike orders. I find it highly disturbing they were concerned about such a thing, that we potentially have a president who might order a nuclear strike for all the wrong reasons, such that, the pentagon brass were bracing themselves for such a potential outcome.

General Milley, in my view, is a national hero.

We now know there was a memo drafted to pull out all the troops on January 15, bypassing the National Security advisor, the Secretary of Defense, and General Milley ( Chairman of the Joint Chiefs) none of whom were initially aware of the memo. General Milley became aware of the directive and talked Trump into rescinding it, he was successful.


https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/14/politics/woodward-book-trump-nuclear/index.html

"Peril" is based on more than 200 interviews with firsthand participants and witnesses, and it paints a chilling picture of Trump's final days in office. The book, Woodward's third on the Trump presidency, recounts behind-the-scenes moments of a commander in chief unhinged and explosive, yelling at senior advisers and aides as he desperately sought to cling to power.

Milley's fear was based on his own observations of Trump's erratic behavior. His concern was magnified by the events of January 6 and the 'extraordinary risk' the situation posed to US national security, the authors write. Milley had already had two back-channel phone calls with China's top general, who was on high alert over the chaos in the US.

Then Milley received a blunt phone call from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, according to the book. Woodward and Costa exclusively obtained a transcript of the call, during which Milley tried to reassure Pelosi that the nuclear weapons were safe.
Pelosi pushed back.

"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?"

Pelosi continued, "You know he's crazy. He's been crazy for a long time."

... Milley responded, "Madam Speaker, I agree with you on everything."


Pelosi told members in a letter that she spoke to Milley about Trump and the nuclear codes.

"This morning, I spoke to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley to discuss available precautions for preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike," Pelosi wrote. "The situation of this unhinged President could not be more dangerous, and we must do everything that we can to protect the American people from his unbalanced assault on our country and our democracy."

Milley's fear that Trump could do something unpredictable came from experience. Right after Trump lost the election, Milley discovered the President had signed a military order to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by January 15, 2021, before he left the White House.

The memo had been secretly drafted by two Trump loyalists. No one on the national security team knew about it, according to the book. The memo was eventually nullified, but Milley could not forget that Trump had done an end run around his top military advisers.

Woodward and Costa write that after January 6, Milley 'felt no absolute certainty that the military could control or trust Trump and believed it was his job as the senior military officer to think the unthinkable and take any and all necessary precautions.'

Milley called it the 'absolute darkest moment of theoretical possibility,' ...

 

"Milley's fear that Trump could do something unpredictable came from experience. Right after Trump lost the election, Milley discovered the President had signed a military order to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by January 15, 2021, before he left the White House.

The memo had been secretly drafted by two Trump loyalists. No one on the national security team knew about it, according to the book. The memo was eventually nullified, but Milley could not forget that Trump had done an end run around his top military advisers."

Wow, can you imagine the gall of an American President and Commander in Chief doing an "end run" around the military? Good thing these coup plotters violated their oath and showed that President that the military is boss!

 

He was wrong and just added another nothing burger to the menu. A real hero would take away Bidens spork!

 

Some military people take their oath seriously. Well done .

 

A terrible general though and through.

 

The echo in the chasm of what has become of America sure is getting pretty loud.

 

So what you're saying is you would rather Benedict Donald were allowed to start a nuclear war so he could stay in power.

 

But a hell of a patriot!

 

Hell of a partisan hack, I'll give you that.

 

If you think taking nuclear war to stay in power off Benedict Donald's menu is hackery, then I wonder who's "partisan".

Not really.

 

It really concerns me that there seems to be NO upper limit, nothing he can do that will make them at least take a moment of pause and think "What the hell did he do?" I have tried to put myself in those moccasins and I would have bolted the first trip around the Merry-Go-Round of craziness. What the hell kind of spell does he have over these people? This makes no sense!

We just learned that SEVERAL people in the WH were bracing for him to do anything! It's one thing to ignore the teleprompter and go rogue on the microphone. It may even be a little justifiable to snap at reporters. First, they shrugged off 400K COVID deaths, then a Capitol riot (that end in five police officers being dead with hundreds injured), then he negotiates with terrorists and invites them to our country. Wait, there's more, he removes the bulk of our soldiers and unleashes 5,000 of these psychopaths. He puts out almost weekly memos to commentate on everything Biden does after shutting the man out of transfer meetings. How is ANY of that acceptable?

Notwithstanding any of the above, he has destroyed Pence's political career on a lie and he has used Giuliani and refuses to pay him. He is facing defamation charges and possibly disbarment over his role in the Capitol riot and the frivolous lawsuits. These are two people that were COMPLETELY loyal to him. Why would any of his supporters be okay with him treating fiercely loyal people that way?

And, now we are learning that he was even more unhinged than the face he showed the world that people had to have conversations about his stability? And, this goes to show that the big name social media sites were exactly right to keep him permanently banned. He is dangerous and he's rather burn this country to the ground rather than just admit to himself that he royally messed up with COVID. What he is doing is not for the good of our country or our people.

How can anybody who claims to be a loyal and patriotic American citizen be OK with this?

 

Hey, I totally understand Milley's "rock and a hard place" and the "man" he was serving under (someone that should never have been anywhere near the Oval). I need to know more but, I think Alexander Vindman's tweet is applicable. Millley needs to resign and that does not mean he did not act without honor.

 

He AbsaByGodLutely did the right thing, but to do it he went out of the chain of command. I think his resignation is forthcoming; I just hope whomever replaces him is of the same metal and patriotism.

 

Interesting take. In a sense, he must be even more of a patriot and take the fall.

I really hope Trump gets his comeuppance. I doubt it, but I hope it.

 

Time wounds all heals.

 

So leftist are now in favor of tacit military coups?

 

It is interesting and informative to watch as leftist line up to cheer all sorts of entities that as little as half a decade ago they hated with a passion.

This obvious declaration by the administrative state that it will no longer tolerate and sort of democratic interference in it's perceived right to run the country as it damn well pleases regardless if election is as much a declaration of the end of our Republic as Caesar crossing the Rubicon was a declaration of the essential end of the Roman Republican.

 

Now that is a funny statement. Governmentspeak is full of nonsensical things like this. Millie's job is to advise the president on military matters. It is not to insert himself into the fray as a replacement for the president. He may be a good soldier. He is likely the worst JCS chief in my lifetime. If he wants a political office he should run for election like everybody else.

 

No what were saying is that we think this hard coup against a sitting president based on lies and imagination and little else is a tacit statement that the administrative state not our elected leaders is now in charge of the country.

 

Mr. Silva,

Please allow me to respond to your OP Without quoting it. It is way too long, too full of male bovine excrement. So, I will merely respond to the basic idea that you long-windedly expressed.

If the British had won the Revolutionary war, the Benedict Arnold would have been considered a hero, and not the traitor that he was. Arnold, like Milley, took an oath, and then violated that oath by providing aid to the enemy. That by definition is an act of treason.

You wish to justify Milley's treasonous activities because it sounds like something you would have done if you had been in his place. But that just shows that your reasoning is clouded by your hatred of Trump, or how much you hate this country.

 

Just thought the OP author would like to get the real news concerning this milley traitor, and the fact that this woodward pos always needs to write sensational bullcrap.

 

Only in banana republics are the military in charge. Milley is a banana general who, like Gen MacArthur, got too big for his britches. Those who see Milley as a hero are stomping on the USA Constutition.

 

And what you posted is the tip of the iceberg, I mean, what, there are over 20 books on Trump's maladministration, his incompetence, his total despicable behavior, his betrayal of his oath of office, and real crimes, etc., and what is their response?

TDS?

That's it.

As if that is a competent refutation of the facts presented.

I'm talking blind and denial has soared to hitherto unseen heights, and they don't give a damn. Tribalism on parade. Power by any means, justifiable or not, is not off the table. And they have the gall to accuse Milley of being a traitor.

MJ Davies, I really like your post and I would like your permission to quote you, as the occasion may arise? PM me if it's okay. If not, that's okay, too.

Patricio

 

MacArthur wanted to use nuclear weapons against North Korea, he was sacked for that.

Milley probably prevented a war, which is a heroic act.

 

You don't get it. He wasn't instructing anyone to allow him to usurp the presidents power. He jsut wanted to be kept in the loop. I should think as, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, he has that right when it comes to military directives which have world shaking consequences, like a nuke attack, or an attack on Iran ( and he wanted to do just that ).

Trump, after 1/6 was totally obsessed with the election and his other duties were being neglected, and his behavior was becoming increasingly erratic.

The proper solution would have been the 25th amendment, but, alas, no way is a supreme sycophant like Pence going to do anything like that, though he is smart enough not to defy the constitution insofar as his duties on 1/6, where it is clear cut what his duties were. The 25th is a pretty drastic maneuver, and Pence simply didn't have the political will to do such a thing.

so, without the 25th, all we have defending America against the short tempered, highly unpredictable erratic behavior of a president abscessed with 'stop the deal' and other delusions, whereupon Trump hinted at attacking Iran, drafted a memo to that effect, enter one General Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs,and, in that post, serves as one of Trump's senior advisor, who, discovering the memo, also discovered that the secretary of defense, national security advisor and other senior officials were not advised of it, either ( when they should have been ) so all Milley wanted, as a senior adviser, was to instruct those in the chain of command to inform him of the fact before they execute any directive to attack a foreign nation, because, that he was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, he felt he had that right, given Trump's ever increasing erratic behavior.

And republicans are going to fault him for this? Are y'all such partisans that you don't see the wisdom in what Milley did, not to mention that the same was done by James Schlesinger (and no one accused him of treason) when Nixon became increasingly erratic at just before he finally stepped down. I mean, I would have done the same, and so would any right thinking person who is a patriot.


Right after Trump lost the election, Milley discovered the President had signed a military order to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by January 15, 2021, before he left the White House.

The memo had been secretly drafted by two Trump loyalists. No one on the national security team knew about it ...The memo was eventually nullified, but Milley could not forget that Trump had done an end run around his top military advisers.

... after January 6, Milley 'felt no absolute certainty that the military could control or trust Trump and believed it was his job as the senior military officer to think the unthinkable and take any and all necessary precautions.' --from the book, Peril, by Woodward & Costa.