Trump Wants General Milley Charged With Treason for Making Him Look Stupid

Something you may have gleaned over the last several years is that Donald Trump does not take criticism—constructive, real, or imagined—very well. One major example of his paper-thin skin would obviously be his reaction to the American people denying him a second term in office, which of course resulted in him inciting a violent mob to attack the U.S. Capitol. For those who’ve had their brains scrambled by the 45th president, let us just say here and now that that is not a normal way to respond to such an event. Smaller examples of Trump’s inability to deal with anyone saying anything about him less glowing than “you’re an Adonis with a 390-point IQ” would include the many times he turned on people he had hired and praised, and then, after they gave their unvarnished opinion of him, called them “dumb as a rock,” “mentally retarded,” “clueless,” or a “lowlife.”

Naturally, it was in no way surprising that his reaction to the news that General Mark Milley reportedly took steps to stop him from starting a war with China and a nuclear war with any number of countries was characteristic of Trump, i.e. batshit crazy with a string of terrifying run-on sentences to boot.

According to The Daily Beast, after The Washington Post and CNN reported that Peril, a forthcoming book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, details a pair of calls Milley made to assure China that despite the then president being insane, the U.S. would not start a war against the country, and that if he was going to attack, Milley would give his counterpart a heads up, Trump called several close associates and demanded they go on TV to declare Milley should be charged with treason. And of course, they did:

They followed his orders as various MAGA–faithful pundits and Trumpy candidates—including Ohio U.S Senate candidate Josh Mandel, Trump-aligned TPUSA frontman Charlie Kirk, and several former Trump officials—dutifully echoed the “treason” charge on social media. And by Tuesday evening, the twice-impeached former U.S. president was on a Newsmax show cohosted by his former White House [press secretary] using the T-word. “I’ve had so many calls today saying that’s treason,” Trump told Newsmax hosts Sean Spicer and Lyndsay Keith.… “If this is true, General Milley would be a traitor to this country and should be tried for treason immediately. If true, he should be fired and tried for treason immediately,” Fox News star and informal Trump adviser Sean Hannity exclaimed later on Tuesday night, alongside an on-air graphic that blared “Benedict Milley.”

Excerpts of Woodward and Costa’s work published by the Post and CNN say that Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley—who continues on in that role under President Joe Biden—was so unnerved by Trump’s behavior in the aftermath of the insurrection and election that he believed the president was in “serious mental decline” and that the president could “go rogue.” At the time, such concerns were shared throughout the administration and one senior Trump official told The Daily Beast that the insurrection had “changed the calculus” and that “People are concerned about [the president’s] state of mind.”

Following his appearance on Newsmax, Trump released a typically deranged statement that simultaneously accused Milley of committing a treasonous act and claimed the entire story was made up, which read, in part:

If the story of “Dumbass” General Mark Milley, the same failed leader who engineered the worst withdrawal from a country, Afghanistan, in U.S. history, leaving behind many dead and wounded soldiers, many American citizens, and $85 Billion worth of the newest and most sophisticated Military equipment in the world, and our Country’s reputation, is true, then I assume he would be tried for TREASON in that he would have been dealing with his Chinese counterpart behind the President’s back and telling China that he would be giving them notification “of an attack.” Can’t do that!

The good news is that the story is Fake News concocted by a weak and ineffective General together with two authors who I refused to give an interview to because they write fiction, not fact. Actions should be taken immediately against Milley, and better generals in our Military, of which we have many, should get involved so that another Afghanistan disaster never happens again. Remember, I was the one who took out 100% of the ISIS Caliphate. Milley said it couldn’t be done!

Incidentally, Trump spoke to Woodward extensively for the veteran reporter’s 2020 book, Rage. Presumably it was the revelation in that book that the 45th president purposely lied to the country about COVID-19 that caused him to decline interview requests for Peril.

In other Milley news, the general can likely expect an earful from Trump’s conservative lackeys in Congress when he testifies later this month. Per Axios:

When Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley goes before Congress on Sept. 28, he may face some of the most hostile questioning of any modern four-star general.… The big picture: Republicans were already irate with Milley for playing a starring role in a string of recent Trump books. Even some of his friends are cringing over his extensive and high-profile scenes in these books and perceptions that he’s participated on “deep background” with multiple authors. Extensive direct quotes attributed to Milley have led Republicans to accuse him of personally leaking to authors.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, cited Woodward’s and Costa’s reporting in calling for President Biden to fire Milley, accusing him of working to “actively undermine the sitting Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces.”

While Republicans may be out for blood, at present Milley’s job is apparently safe. On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters: “I can assure you all that the president knows General Milley. He has been chairman of the Joint Chiefs for almost eight months of his presidency. They’ve worked side by side through a range of international events. And the president has complete confidence in his leadership, his patriotism, and his fidelity to our Constitution.”

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