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In recent years, Donald Trump was content to go after Gen. Mark Milley — the man he tapped to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — with juvenile taunts and insults. In 2021, for example, the former president said that he considered Milley a “dumbass.” Earlier this year, Trump told Fox News that the four-star Army general is an “idiot.”
But late last week, the Republican took matters in a radical direction. In a message published to his social media platform, Trump wrote, in reference to Milley, “This guy turned out to be a Woke train wreck who, if the Fake News reporting is correct, was actually dealing with China to give them a heads up on the thinking of the President of the United States.
“This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH! A war between China and the United States could have been the result of this treasonous act. To be continued!!!”
As we’ve discussed, Milley did contact Chinese officials in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack, assuring Beijing that the United States was stable during the presidential transition process. The diplomatic outreach was, as The Washington Post reported, “authorized by Trump administration officials at the time.”
The idea that what transpired was “treasonous” — a word Trump has casually thrown around in recent years without cause — and the Republican’s reference to “DEATH!” was needlessly provocative and potentially dangerous.
As for the retiring general’s reaction, Milley sat down with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell for a “60 Minutes” interview, and the anchor noted that the former president “suggested you be punished by death.” He responded:
“Look, I’m a soldier. I’ve been faithful and loyal to the Constitution of the United States for 44 and a half years, and my family and I have sacrificed greatly for this country, and my mother and father before them. And, you know, as much as these comments are directed at me, it’s also directed at the institution of the military, and there’s 2.1 million of us in uniform, and the American people can take it to the bank that all of us, every single one of us, from private to general, were loyal to that Constitution and will never turn our back on it, no matter what. No matter what the threats, no matter what the humiliation, no matter what. If we’re willing to die for that document, if we’re willing to deploy to combat, if we’re willing to lose an arm, a leg, an eye to protect and support and defend that document, and protect the American people, then we’re willing to live for it too.”
The general added that he wouldn’t “comment directly” on Trump’s comments, “but I can tell you that this military, this soldier, me, will never turn our back on that Constitution.”
When O’Donnell asked if there was anything “treasonous” about his outreach to China, Milley went on to say, “Absolutely not. Zero. None.”
Just as notably, the CBS anchor asked the general whether he’s concerned about his safety, given the fact that Trump “seems to be calling for your execution.”
Milley responded, “I’ve got adequate safety precautions. I wish those comments had not been made, but they were, and we’ll take appropriate measures to ensure my safety and the safety of my family.”
All of this struck me as notable for a couple of reasons. The first is that while the retiring general didn’t mention the former president by name, it was hard not to get the impression that he doesn’t think Trump respects the U.S. Constitution the way military personnel do.
The second is that we’ve apparently reached the point in contemporary American politics at which the frontrunner for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination can casually raise the prospect of violence against the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to the point that the nation’s highest-ranking military officer feels the need to “take appropriate measures” to ensure the safety of him and his family.
This, in 2023, is not seen as a disqualifying development for the leading GOP candidate.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.