Opinion: Lack of concern over conduct concerning

Bob Woodward’s latest book, “Peril,” alleges that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, telephoned his Chinese counterpart to assure him that if the president of the United States started a war with China, he, Mark Milley would give the Chinese a “heads up.”

Based on a statement by Joint Staff Spokesperson Col. Dave Butler, it appears that Woodward’s allegations are astonishingly correct. Butler’s only caveat was that Milley’s conversations to other military leaders were normal.

Milley apparently made two calls, one in October of 2020 and one in January of 2021 indicating his concern that Donald Trump intended to start a war with China. News reports indicate there were more than 10 people present for the calls, and they included multiple note takers. Reports also said both calls were conducted with full knowledge of then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper and then-acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller.

The Joint Chiefs spokesman also confirmed Woodward’s claim that Milley called a secret meeting at the Pentagon on Jan. 8, 2021, to instruct senior military officials not to take orders from Trump unless he (Milley) approved them.

At the same time, Milley was also in direct contact with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, at whose direction he appears to have initiated not only the Pentagon meeting but overtures to the heads of the Central Intelligence Agency head, Gina Haspel, and the director of the National Security Agency.

What is mind-boggling to me is that with all these people, 10 on the phone calls, multiple note takers, senior military officers, speaker of the House, head of CIA and director of the National Security Agency, no one stood up and said, “Wait a second here. THIS IS MUTINY.”

Article 94 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Mutiny and Sedition, reads in part:

(a) “Any person subject to this chapter who

(3) fails to do his utmost to prevent and suppress a mutiny or sedition being committed in his presence, or fails to take all reasonable means to inform his superior commissioned officer or commanding officer of a mutiny or sedition which he knows or has reason to believe is taking place, is guilty of a failure to suppress or report a mutiny or sedition.

According to an article in the “National Defense University Press,” by U.S. Marine Gregory C. McCarthy, there are approximately 900 active-duty general/flag officers today. None of these individuals, each of them intimately aware of the workings of the UCMJ, have come forward to raise even a minor question as to Gen. Milley’s conduct.

General Miley has implicated all of the above listed people in his insubordination. That’s probably why there will never be an investigation into what happened.

Rube Render is a former Clovis city commissioner and former chair of the Curry County Republican Party. Contact him:

[email protected]