Claims in book about Gen Milley false.

[Fishking]

Seems like people are getting spun up over a book again to bilk people out of their money. How many times does this cycle have to repeat itself?

Claims that Milley made ‘secret’ calls to Chinese leaders exaggerated, sources say

A defense official said the calls were not out of the ordinary, and the chairman was not frantically trying to reassure his counterpart.

www.politico.com

Claims in an upcoming book that a frantic Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley made secret calls to his Chinese counterpart are greatly exaggerated, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

A forthcoming book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa claims that Milley grew concerned about then-President Donald Trump’s instability and the possibility that he might spark a war with China, prompting him to arrange a pair of secret phone calls with Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army. The first was on Oct. 30, just four days before the presidential election, and the second on Jan. 8, two days after a mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol.
The official said the calls were not out of the ordinary, and the chairman was not frantically trying to reassure his counterpart.

The people also said that Milley did not go rogue in placing the call, as the book suggests. In fact, Milley asked permission from acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller before making the call, said one former senior defense official, who was in the room for the meeting. Milley also briefed the secretary’s office after the call, the former official said.

 

[Rexedgar]

Seems like people are getting spun up over a book again to bilk people out of their money. How many times does this cycle have to repeat itself?

Claims that Milley made ‘secret’ calls to Chinese leaders exaggerated, sources say

A defense official said the calls were not out of the ordinary, and the chairman was not frantically trying to reassure his counterpart.

www.politico.com

Claims in an upcoming book that a frantic Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley made secret calls to his Chinese counterpart are greatly exaggerated, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

A forthcoming book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa claims that Milley grew concerned about then-President Donald Trump’s instability and the possibility that he might spark a war with China, prompting him to arrange a pair of secret phone calls with Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army. The first was on Oct. 30, just four days before the presidential election, and the second on Jan. 8, two days after a mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol.
The official said the calls were not out of the ordinary, and the chairman was not frantically trying to reassure his counterpart.

The people also said that Milley did not go rogue in placing the call, as the book suggests. In fact, Milley asked permission from acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller before making the call, said one former senior defense official, who was in the room for the meeting. Milley also briefed the secretary’s office after the call, the former official said.

There seems to be some conflicting reporting:

Trump acting Defense Secretary Miller says he 'did not' authorize Milley China calls, says he should resign
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tr...rize-milley-china-calls-says-he-should-resign

The Pentagon didn’t exactly challenge the book account.





.

 

[Fishking]

There seems to be some conflicting reporting:

Trump acting Defense Secretary Miller says he 'did not' authorize Milley China calls, says he should resign
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tr...rize-milley-china-calls-says-he-should-resign

The Pentagon didn’t exactly challenge the book account.

One thing I can count on is that the sellers of the book have a vested interest in sensationalizing their claims.

 

[Mr Person]

The reporting I did read made clear these were not secret calls and that everyone who should have been notified was.

 

[Rexedgar]

One thing I can count on is that the sellers of the book have a vested interest in sensationalizing their claims.

No argument from me on that!

 

[DataPoint]

What phone calls were secret?

 

[upsideguy]

One thing I can count on is that the sellers of the book have a vested interest in sensationalizing their claims.

Not really. I would argue the opposite. They each have reputations as first rate journalists to protect. They do not need to sensationalize to make names for themselves, they already have names. They sell books because they are credible; they get it right. Sensationalizing for them would be to screw the golden goose.

What they are telling us is completely consistent with just about everything that has been written about Trump.
I think you can rest assured that the book outlines things substantially as they happened.

Let's face it, Trump was woefully unfit for office. Over the next couple of years we are going to continue to learn just how unfit. People should stop defending him (as it reflects poorly on your ability to judge character) and climb onboard the train of truth to realize that we never again can have someone this bad in the Oval Office.

I don't know about you, but I am still looking for the one author that is willing to do a book painting Trump as a 'stable genius'. That would certainly be sensational. That said, I don't think anyone wants to risk their reputation on that one.

 

[Eriech]

Woodward, largely false. Never! He's the Walter Cronkite of this 1/2 century /s

 

[notquiteright]

One thing I can count on is that the sellers of the book have a vested interest in sensationalizing their claims.

Well I doubt the authors need to make-up events to sell books. From the somewhat conflicting reports it seems the secret was keeping the communications secret from tRump. Gen Milley did go to others and confer about making a least one call.

Quotes attributed to tRump have him not authorizing any calls and if calls were made he wants Biden to fire Gen. Milley and calls the action treason. So that maybe the bottom line, knowledge of calls was kept from tRump...

 

[Common Sense 1]

Trump acting Defense Secretary Miller says he 'did not' authorize Milley China calls, says he should resign​

Trump acting Defense Secretary Miller says he 'did not' authorize Milley China calls, says he should resign | Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: Former acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller, who led the Pentagon from the period between the 2020 election and Inauguration Day, said that he “did not and would not ever authorize” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley to have “secret” calls with his Chinese...

www.foxnews.com

EXCLUSIVE: Former acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, who led the Pentagon from the period after the 2020 election through Inauguration Day, said that he "did not and would not ever authorize" Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley to have "secret" calls with his Chinese counterpart, describing the allegations as a "disgraceful and unprecedented act of insubordination," and calling on him to resign "immediately."

In a statement to Fox News, Miller said that the United States Armed Forces, from its inception, has "operated under the inviolable principle of civilian control of the military."

 

[DataPoint]

The calls, of course, were kept from Trump! And Miller knew of the calls.

Enough Republicans responded correctly after the election through January 6 to save the nation.

And that is why we will never have another Trump again.

Those good Republicans knew what almost and could have happened.

No Trump, Pompeo, DeSantis, or Abbott will be on the Presidential ticket in 2024.

That window has closed because of good Republicans.

 

[MaryP]

Not really. I would argue the opposite. They each have reputations as first rate journalists to protect. They do not need to sensationalize to make names for themselves, they already have names. They sell books because they are credible; they get it right. Sensationalizing for them would be to screw the golden goose.

What they are telling us is completely consistent with just about everything that has been written about Trump.
I think you can rest assured that the book outlines things substantially as they happened.

Let's face it, Trump was woefully unfit for office. Over the next couple of years we are going to continue to learn just how unfit. People should stop defending him (as it reflects poorly on your ability to judge character) and climb onboard the train of truth to realize that we never again can have someone this bad in the Oval Office.

I don't know about you, but I am still looking for the one author that is willing to do a book painting Trump as a 'stable genius'. That would certainly be sensational. That said, I don't think anyone wants to risk their reputation on that one.

Woodward and Costa did extensive research and then chose an approach and used the evidence they had to back it up. We are at a disadvantage here since we don't have the book yet to judge it in its entirety.

I have no doubts that the facts they reported were true, but some of the reporting on it from the Times and others also picks and chooses and uses words like "secret" that may or may not be the author's words. It is clear the authors were painting a picture of dramatic proportions. It could have been written differently, more the way the military just responded, but it wouldn't have fit in with the book's main argument that Trump was out of control. And no doubt he was. Narcissists given their head are outrageous.

Of course the authors 'dramatized' it. Doesn't mean they were incorrect about anything either, though. I think some on the right will take this statement by the military as an excuse to say the book is all bunk. It isn't but they need some excuse.

 

[Da Mole]

The reporting I did read made clear these were not secret calls and that everyone who should have been notified was.

Secret or not, the calls should never have been made. Miller denies that he was informed of the call or gave permission. Nowhere has it been said that Trump was kept in the loop so he never authorized the call either. Milley is a rogue partisan hack.

 

[Mr Person]

Secret or not, the calls should never have been made. Miller denies that he was informed of the call or gave permission. Nowhere has it been said that Trump was kept in the loop so he never authorized the call either. Milley is a rogue partisan hack.

"It was a perfect call", plus, you're just quoting fake news media because you're a Biden Hater.





The more usual defense of "you don't know what you're talking about and your analogy is stupid bullshit" is completely available. But given your response to things that matter a whole lot more...

I'll wait until someone who does always attack Biden has something to say. And no, that doesn't mean you can pretend to 'agree' with some irrelevant small shit for purposes of bootstrapping and say "see?"

 

[DataPoint]

Milley did the moral, honorable thing: he walled in a rogue President from acting out.

 

[Athanasius68]

Woodward and Costa did extensive research and then chose an approach and used the evidence they had to back it up. We are at a disadvantage here since we don't have the book yet to judge it in its entirety.

I have no doubts that the facts they reported were true, but some of the reporting on it from the Times and others also picks and chooses and uses words like "secret" that may or may not be the author's words. It is clear the authors were painting a picture of dramatic proportions. It could have been written differently, more the way the military just responded, but it wouldn't have fit in with the book's main argument that Trump was out of control. And no doubt he was. Narcissists given their head are outrageous.

Of course the authors 'dramatized' it. Doesn't mean they were incorrect about anything either, though. I think some on the right will take this statement by the military as an excuse to say the book is all bunk. It isn't but they need some excuse.

There are words to describe a country where the military is not under the control of the elected civilian leadership.
A self governing republic is not one of them.

Gen Miley needs to go, at the very least to resist the politicization of an institution that should not be political at all.

 

[DataPoint]

Trump and his pals never should be in power again "to resist politicization" of the Office of the Presidency.

 

[MaryP]

There are words to describe a country where the military is not under the control of the elected civilian leadership.
A self governing republic is not one of them.

Gen Miley needs to go, at the very least to resist the politicization of an institution that should not be political at all.

I recognize the concern, but I believe we were talking about a very specific and unusual situation which fortunately did not come to pass. I don't believe General Milley's plan will turn the military into a power of its own that runs the country by force.

 

[DataPoint]

I recognize the concern, but I believe we were talking about a very specific and unusual situation which fortunately did not come to pass. I don't believe General Milley's plan will turn the military into a power of its own that runs the country by force.

The concerns do not outweigh the real danger of Trump trying to stay in office.

 

[MaryP]

Secret or not, the calls should never have been made. Miller denies that he was informed of the call or gave permission. Nowhere has it been said that Trump was kept in the loop so he never authorized the call either. Milley is a rogue partisan hack.

That's not what Miller told Politico earlier today.

In an interview Wednesday, Miller told POLITICO that Milley almost certainly told him he was going to call his Chinese counterpart, but he didn’t recall getting a detailed readout of the call after.

“Looking back, I imagine there was a perfunctory exchange between us and our staffs about coordinating phone calls and messages for the day,” he said. “I don’t recall the specifics and it certainly wasn’t in a detailed or more formal way. It was more perfunctory/routine.”

A Joint Staff spokesperson said all of Milley’s calls with his counterparts, including those with Chinese leaders, “are staffed, coordinated and communicated with the Department of Defense and the interagency.”

It would seem to me that if a call to the Chinese military official was some big deal, it wouldn't have been considered "perfunctory and routine." Or that if anything untoward was said, that it wouldn't have been brought to Miller's attention.

Claims that Milley made ‘secret’ calls to Chinese leaders exaggerated, sources say

A defense official said the calls were not out of the ordinary, and the chairman was not frantically trying to reassure his counterpart.

www.politico.com

 

[lurchadams]

Seems like people are getting spun up over a book again to bilk people out of their money. How many times does this cycle have to repeat itself?

Claims that Milley made ‘secret’ calls to Chinese leaders exaggerated, sources say

A defense official said the calls were not out of the ordinary, and the chairman was not frantically trying to reassure his counterpart.

www.politico.com

Claims in an upcoming book that a frantic Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley made secret calls to his Chinese counterpart are greatly exaggerated, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

A forthcoming book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa claims that Milley grew concerned about then-President Donald Trump’s instability and the possibility that he might spark a war with China, prompting him to arrange a pair of secret phone calls with Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army. The first was on Oct. 30, just four days before the presidential election, and the second on Jan. 8, two days after a mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol.
The official said the calls were not out of the ordinary, and the chairman was not frantically trying to reassure his counterpart.

The people also said that Milley did not go rogue in placing the call, as the book suggests. In fact, Milley asked permission from acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller before making the call, said one former senior defense official, who was in the room for the meeting. Milley also briefed the secretary’s office after the call, the former official said.

From the Political article:

The people also said that Milley did not go rogue in placing the call, as the book suggests. In fact, Milley asked permission from acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller before making the call, said one former senior defense official, who was in the room for the meeting. Milley also briefed the secretary’s office after the call, the former official said.

So.. Miley DID call the Chinese General, it just wasn't a "Rouge" call? Is that the "lie" you've uncovered? What exactly is the lie you think is most damaging here, Fish?

 

[CaughtInThe]

Let's just be glad the crazy ex president is gone.

 

[DataPoint]

Fishking uncovered a nothingburger, no lie.

 

[lurchadams]

One thing I can count on is that the any sellers of any book have a vested interest in sensationalizing their claims promoting their work.

Fixed it for you, my friend. Unless you think Costa and Woodward are nothing but tabloid punks and people like Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter are just honest journalists. I don't fault the authors for promoting their work. And I don't consider your OP any type of expose' on Costa or Woodward's credibility or lack thereof.

 

[lurchadams]

Trump acting Defense Secretary Miller says he 'did not' authorize Milley China calls, says he should resign​

Trump acting Defense Secretary Miller says he 'did not' authorize Milley China calls, says he should resign | Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: Former acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller, who led the Pentagon from the period between the 2020 election and Inauguration Day, said that he “did not and would not ever authorize” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley to have “secret” calls with his Chinese...

www.foxnews.com

EXCLUSIVE: Former acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, who led the Pentagon from the period after the 2020 election through Inauguration Day, said that he "did not and would not ever authorize" Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley to have "secret" calls with his Chinese counterpart, describing the allegations as a "disgraceful and unprecedented act of insubordination," and calling on him to resign "immediately."

In a statement to Fox News, Miller said that the United States Armed Forces, from its inception, has "operated under the inviolable principle of civilian control of the military."

Too bad he's not president any longer, firing qualified people and putting in his goons in high office.