Milley Told Admiral to Halt Operations in Pacific That China Could Deem 'Provocative', Authors Claim
© REUTERS / YURI GRIPAS
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The revelations come from the upcoming book "Peril," to hit the stores on Tuesday, which is dedicated to the peculiar transition from Donald Trump's presidency to Joe Biden's. Though not released yet, the book has already caused a stir in Washington, DC.
US General Mark Milley ordered an admiral in charge of the Pacific region to cancel any possible military actions that could be seen as "provocative" by Beijing, according to the authors of "Peril."
In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" Bob Woodward and Robert Costa suggested that the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff "was not going rogue" by making the call to his Chinese counterparts.
"He was reading people in throughout the national security community, trying to contain a situation and a president he believed was in serious mental decline," Costa said in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America.
EXCLUSIVE: Former Pres. Trump’s top military adviser was “not going rogue” when he held secret phone calls with his Chinese counterpart before and after the 2020 election, Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa tell @GStephanopoulos. https://t.co/wgJFx9CG8u pic.twitter.com/Q4Lfda5Fp0
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 20, 2021
Milley reportedly informed four entities about his conversations with China that took place in the last months of the Trump administration. These included then-CIA Director Gina Haspel, NSA Director Paul Nakasone, chiefs of the various military branches, and a Pacific operations admiral, according to Woodward.
What is interesting, Milley reportedly told Haspel to "watch everything 360."
"Talked to Paul Nakasone, who heads National Security Agency, which does worldwide eavesdropping, and said, 'needles up,' which is an expression – 'listen everywhere,'" Woodward described the discussions. "He talked to the chiefs – the head of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and said, 'Fulltime, watch everything.' And then he called the admiral in charge of the region in the Pacific and canceled – asked him to cancel operations that the Chinese might see as provocative."
When asked whether he was documenting "treasonous behavior" by Milley, Woodward replied that he did not think so since there was "nothing hidden about this."
"[The calls] were held on a top-secret back channel, they were not secret," Costa added. "This was not someone who was working in isolation."
In the book, the authors reportedly claim that Milley was concerned about Trump launching an attack to stay in power, and told China that he would warn them of any coming attack.
"Two days after the insurrection at the Capitol was a moment of maximum tension."
According to the new book "Peril," Milley called Chinese General Li Zuocheng in October 2020 and January 2021 to allay Chinese fears that Trump was planning a secret attack and reassure him that the US was not on the verge of collapsing following the Capitol riot.
The former president, his administration's officials and several Republicans accused Milley of treason and demanded that President Joe Biden remove him in the wake of news of his phone calls.
Last week, Milley claimed the calls were "routine" and done "to reassure both allies and adversaries in this case in order to ensure strategic stability" in an interview with The Associated Press.
He also reportedly stated that he was prepared to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee next week to justify his actions.
The new book also reportedly describes how former Vice President Mike Pence struggled with his responsibilities to certify the results of the presidential election on January 6, despite Trump's relentless push to overturn Biden's victory. Pence even sought advice from Senate parliamentarian and former Vice President Dan Quayle on how to handle his ceremonial presiding over the electoral vote count, to which Quayle reportedly replied that Pence was obligated to follow the law since he had "no power."
And according to Woodward, Pence was "trying to ride both horses." He was attempting to "do his constitutional duty but also keep the avenues to Trump open."
