Kathleen J. Anderson – Next week, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley will hang up his uniform and start his speaking engagements, board assignments, and drafting his probably already commissioned tell-all book.
While most of the swamp is falling over themselves to shower General Milley with praise and all the usual fanfare afforded ineffectual Generals, one is still speaking the truth about the furrow-browed general.
Former President and boss to General Milley, Donald Trump, took to Truth Social to remind us of some of the General’s more prolific failures and the severe damage he caused the position he has held the last few years. Of course, the left and the media have been quick to come out and blast the former Commander-in-Chief for his “aggressive attack” on the General.
However, I would argue Mr. Trump, whom I don’t often agree with, is spot on in his dress-down of the disgraced Army officer. General Milley was not only one of our worst military leaders in history, but he did indeed commit what I view as treason.
President Trump is accusing Mark Milley of treason.
He’s right. This is the type of bold leadership we need right now. We also need to talk about why our country has moved away from the true punishment for treason in America and why officials are never held accountable.… pic.twitter.com/ZpdDgZJ9iR
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) September 23, 2023
A time to celebrate?
Current Republican front-runner for the presidency, Donald Trump, laid out a Cliff Notes-style list of General Milley’s failures:
“Mark Milley, who led perhaps the most embarrassing moment in American history with his grossly incompetent implementation of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, costing many lives, leaving behind hundreds of American citizens, and handing over BILLIONS of dollars of the finest military equipment ever made, will be leaving the military next week.”
President Trump went on to write:
“This will be a time for all citizens of the USA to celebrate! This guy turned out to be a Woke train wreck who, if the Fake News reporting is correct, was actually dealing with China to give them a heads-up on the thinking of the President of the United States. This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH.”
I’m not on board with a celebration, but that’s because I believe General Milley is getting off too easy for his crimes. The skilled political General will retire with a fat pension, copious benefits, and a lifetime of opportunities that will continue to build his wealth and influence.
Meanwhile, 13 servicemembers murdered by a suicide bomber at Kabul International Airport don’t get to ride their heroism into riches and comfort. At a minimum, General Milley should’ve been fired from his position after the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, but did he commit the ultimate crime President Trump alludes to?
In case you're not following, they've come up with a name, "Trump enemies' list", and former DNI James Clapper says General Milley’s belief that if Trump were reelected he would jail his enemies is correct and that he might also be jailed. WATCHpic.twitter.com/ltPHT5hCT1
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) September 26, 2023
Worse case of woe
Leading up to the election and events on January 6th, General Mark Milley called his counterpart in China, General Li Zuocheng. His stated goal in these phone calls was to assure the People’s Liberation Army leader in China that the United States had no intention of attacking his country.
General Milley told members of Congress in his defense:
“At no time was I attempting to change or influence the process, usurp authority, or insert myself into the chain of command, but I am expected to give my advice and ensure that the president is fully informed.”
And yet, President Trump wasn’t informed before or after these phone calls.
On one such call, it’s been reported that General Milley told General Li:
“General Li, you and I have known each other for five years. If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time. It’s not going to be a surprise.”
Now, either General Milley was actively and strategically aiding our enemy or foolishly and naively believed China would provide us the same heads-up warning pre-attack. I’m not entirely sure which of those two options is worse.
Our military has been infested with Marxists even at the Flag and General Officer level. Milley oversaw this march through our remaining reliable institution and deserves nothing but public shaming and accountability under the UCMJ for his failure to prevent authoritarian (Biden… https://t.co/c3Q1JWISoC
— Col. Rob Maness ret. 🇺🇸 (@RobManess) September 25, 2023
Treason from within
Donald Trump accuses General Milley of treason, the only crime specifically mentioned and defined in the Constitution. Let’s take a quick knee and dive into our most cherished document.
Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution defines treason and what punishments can be levied on those who commit the ultimate crime.
The founding fathers wanted to ensure that in the future, our country’s politicians wouldn’t be able to bend or change the charge of treason to fit political ends. According to the Constitution treason can take the form of two actions:
♦ levying war against the United States
♦ adhering to the enemies of the United States, giving them aid and comfort
In Cramer v. United States, the Supreme Court required that to be found guilty of treason, in addition to needing two witnesses to said crime, would also require a concrete action plus intent to betray the country. General Milley planned and executed aiding the enemy in an attempt to provide them comfort, thus betraying his nation.
Milley went behind the back of the Commander-in-Chief to give a hostile foreign powers’ top military man assurances he had not authority to give, and promised that he would betray his country. Then he admitted it. It really doesn’t get much clearer than that.
For treason, the punishment can be death.
The reason for such a harsh sentence? It used to be considered a citizen’s utmost duty to be loyal to one’s nation, and we used to expect the same from our military officers.
The history books
General Mark Milley has a weathered face that seems perpetually frowning, and he grumbles about tactical strategy and the good old days as a muddied boot-wearing infantryman.
SF Source The Political Insider Sep 2023