Impeachment witness and retired Army LTC Alexander Vindman said that Joint Chiefs of Staff Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley must resign if he went outside the chain of command to rein in former President Donald Trump.
Vindman responded Tuesday to an excerpt from “Peril,” a new book from journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, which alleged that Milley had been so concerned Trump might start a war with China that he secretly contacted his Chinese counterpart ahead of the 2020 presidential election. (RELATED: Alexander Vindman Claims He Had To ‘Deprogram’ His Own Trump-Supporting Father)
Top general was so fearful Trump might spark war with China that he made secret calls to his counterpart in Beijing, new book says https://t.co/cb8ypg6JvF
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 14, 2021
Vindman said that if the assertions put forth by Woodward and Costa were true, Milley should resign.
“If this is true GEN Milley must resign. He usurped civilian authority, broke Chain of Command, and violated the sacrosanct principle of civilian control over the military. It’s an extremely dangerous precedent. You can’t simply walk away from that,” Vindman tweeted.
If this is true GEN Milley must resign. He usurped civilian authority, broke Chain of Command, and violated the sacrosanct principle of civilian control over the military. It’s an extremely dangerous precedent. You can’t simply walk away from that. #dotherightthingintherightway https://t.co/izsMMCFPrz
— Alexander S. Vindman (@AVindman) September 14, 2021
Several others joined in calling for Milley’s resignation over the book’s claims.
If these allegations are true, Gen Milley has proven, yet again, that he is unfit to serve and is treading dangerous ground.
He needs to resign.
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) September 14, 2021
Generals don’t get to have their personal foreign policies. Period. If the Woodward story is true, Miley should resign and sign his CNN contract today https://t.co/SHOKUMAhV5
— Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) September 14, 2021
If Milley did that, it’s absolute insubordination.He should have had the class & courage to resign. Those stars should be ripped from his shoulder. Who does he think he is? No one elected Milley to anything. He’s the one who went rogue.We have civilian elected Commander in Chief. https://t.co/W4sXwodV76
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) September 14, 2021
Others have questioned whether Milley or Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin might be held to account for the manner in which the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan, ultimately leaving American citizens and Afghan allies stranded and under Taliban control. Both are expected to testify before Congress in the coming days.