Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said Wednesday that Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley should be given a polygraph test and “removed of his command” if he secretly negotiated with his Chinese counterpart.
“[He] should be immediately ordered into a room for an interview, not just a press interview, for an interview, with polygraph, which we do often for our intelligence officials and he needs to be asked, ‘Did you call the Chinese government in defiance of your commands?'” Paul told “Fox & Friends,” referring to allegations found in the book “Peril,” by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. The book claims Milley phoned his military counterpart in China on Oct. 30, 2020, to suggest that former President Donald Trump might order a preemptive military strike against China. (RELATED: ‘Give Me About 15 Minutes … I Will Get To The Truth’: Sen. Kennedy Says Gen. Milley ‘Should Resign’ If He Called China)
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“Did you warn them or insinuate to them that the president might attack them? That’s incredibly dangerous to the country and to the world and, if true, treasonous,” the senator said, adding that Milley “should be immediately relieved of his duties and court-martialed,” if the allegations are true. However, Paul did allow that the story may be “innuendo” or “rumor.” (RELATED: 90 Retired Flag Officers Call On Austin, Milley To Resign Immediately)
Paul also insisted that “it actually makes war more likely” if the most senior American military official is calling China and speculating that the president might attack, because the Chinese military might perceive the warning seriously. “It’s a terrible thing, very dangerous, but just by defying the chain of command it gets outside of what we have as a Constitutional republic,” the senator argued.
“Peril” also alleges that Milley took secret action that would have prevented Trump from using nuclear weapons after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Trump, however, said Tuesday that he believes the report may be “fake news” but if not, that Milley committed “treason.”