WASHINGTON
– Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Rand Paul
(R-Ky.) are asking General Mark Milley to make good on his commitment to reconcile
the apparent discrepancies between his alleged statements to authors of the
book Peril and his testimony before
Congress.
In
Peril, a book published last year by
authors Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, Milley is reported to have provided
assurances to Chinese General Li
Zuocheng, and indicated he would warn his foreign counterpart if the U.S. were
going to launch an attack.
“These
alleged statements raise alarms with us about your adherence to the U.S.
military chain of command for launching nuclear weapons, as well as your
commitment to civilian control of the military,” the senators wrote.
Milley
denied having read any of the published accounts of his conversation with his
Chinese counterpart before being asked about it at a September 2021
hearing. Blackburn sought
and received commitment from Milley that he read the relevant books and “let us
know if you are accurately presented and portrayed.” Now, nearly four months
later, the general has yet to comply with his stated commitment.
Milley’s reported comments raise serious concerns about his role and the
foundational constitutional principle of civilian control of the military.
Full
text of the letter to Milley can be found
HERE.
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