Milley skirts questions on his concerns about Trump coup [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Some books have claimed that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley was concerned that former President Donald Trump might attempt a coup in the final months of his presidency.
• Milley refused to comment on the claims but insisted that the military remains “apolitical.”
• A defense official claimed that Milley “tried his hardest to actively stay out of politics,” but was occasionally forced to do so to keep Trump in check.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley refused to comment on reports of his concerns that former President Donald Trump might attempt a coup in the final months of his presidency.

The claims were made in the upcoming book from Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, “I Alone Can Fix It: Donald Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year.”

Another book by Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Bender, titled “Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost,” claims that Milley repeatedly pushed back whenever Trump suggested military intervention against civil unrest and protests.

During Wednesday’s press conference at the Pentagon, Milley was pressed on the claims about his fallout with the former President.

Milley responded, “I’m not going to comment on what’s in any of those books,” but emphasized that “the United States military is an apolitical institution” that has always “maintained” their oaths to the Constitution and not to any individual. He pointed out that “the military did not and will not and should not ever get involved in domestic politics.”

He continued, “We don’t arbitrate elections. That’s the job of the judiciary and the legislature and the American people. It is not the job of the US military. We stayed out of politics. We’re an apolitical institution.”

He added that he has only provided “the best military professional advice to President Trump previously, to President Biden or any other president.”

Meanwhile, Trump refuted the claims and called for Milley’s termination.

Trump declared, “I never threatened, or spoke about, to anyone, a coup of our Government. If I was going to do a coup, one of the last people I would want to do it with is General Mark Milley.”

A defense official close to Milley previously told CNN that the general “does not plan to publicly address the issues raised in the book.”

The official claimed that Milley “tried his hardest to actively stay out of politics,” but was occasionally forced to do so to keep Trump in check.

The official stated, “He’s not going to sit in silence while people try to use the military against Americans.”

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who has previously served with Milley, defended the Chairman, saying, “He doesn’t have a political bone in his body.”

Austin added, “It’s really important to me that this department remain apolitical.” He assured that they will “remain focused on the task at hand, and understand that they’re not a part of the political apparatus.”

Source: CNN