Gen. Mark Milley said there were talks about court-martialing former military officers who wrote ‘very critical’ op-eds of Trump

Gen. Mark Milley said there were talks about court-martialing former military officers who wrote ‘very critical’ op-eds of Trump
Share to friends
Listen to this article
Gen. Mark Milley said there were talks about court-martialing former military officers who wrote ‘very critical’ op-eds of Trump
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Army Gen. Mark Milley seems on after getting a briefing from senior army leaders in the Cabinet Room on the White House on October 7, 2019.

  • Gen. Mark Milley said there have been talks of retaliating against retired officers vital of Trump.
  • Several former army officers wrote up-eds criticizing Trump throughout his presidency.
  • Milley said he was involved about politicization of the army in his testimony before the January 6 committee. 

Gen. Mark Milley said there have been discussions about retaliating against retired army officers who wrote vital op-eds about former President Donald Trump, in accordance with testimony released by the January 6 committee.

Milley has served since 2019 because the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest army adviser to the president, after being nominated by Trump. His testimony, taken on November 17, 2021, was amongst a trove of paperwork released Sunday by the House committee investigating the Capitol riot.

Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria requested Milley if he had thought-about addressing Michael Flynn, the retired basic who served as Trump’s nationwide safety adviser and later called for the US to have a coup like Myanmar after Trump left office.

Milley responded by saying he was involved concerning the politicization of the army, and that the difficulty had come up throughout the Trump administration after op-eds written by retired army officers had been “very critical of then President Trump.”

“And there was actually discussions with me: Bring him back on Active Duty, court-martial him, you know, make him walk the plank sort of thing, right? I advised them not to do that, because that would further politicize, in my personal view,” Milley said, including he would also advise warning in addressing Flynn.

Milley didn’t specify which retired army officers had been thought-about for court-martialing, however a number of wrote vital op-eds of Trump throughout his time in office. Some had been revealed in 2020 in response to Trump’s dealing with of civil unrest that occured after the homicide of George Floyd, together with his stroll from the White House to St. John’s Episcopal Church after legislation enforcement was used to disperse peaceable protesters.

Retired Marine Corps Gen. John Allen wrote a scathing commentary for Foreign Policy, saying the president “threatened to deploy the U.S. military against American citizens.” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said in The Atlantic he was “sickened” to see safety personnel “forcibly and violently” eliminated protesters from Lafayette Square and that Trump had “laid bare his disdain for the rights of peaceful protest.”

Milley, who also apologized for his role in Trump’s picture op on the church, also testified that whereas he was anxious concerning the “broader implications” of politicization of the army, taking motion against retired officers who communicate out should not be carried out calmly.

A consultant for Trump didn’t instantly reply to Insider’s request for remark.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Source