A Republican lawmaker told Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley point blank that he should hand in his resignation letter on Wednesday over two phone calls made to his counterpart in China assuring him that former President Trump is not thinking of an imminent attack.
Milley, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and U.S. Central Command chief General Frank McKenzie are appearing before the House Armed Services Committee today in the second of two contentious hearings on the Biden administration's Afghanistan withdrawal.
It's also the second time in two days that Milley finds himself under oath answering for allegations he went behind Trump's back to tell a Chinese general that he'd personally deliver a 'heads up' if the ex-president took rogue action against China in a desperate bid to stay in office.
Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) asked Milley about the contents of his conversation with Beijing during her questioning.
She accused him of working against the U.S. to help 'our number one adversary,' adding that his actions were 'worthy' of resignation.
'Did you tell General Li when you talked to him on the phone if we would attack China that you would let him know ahead of time?' Hartzler asked.
Milley didn't deny the allegation but told the lawmaker that it was part of 'a longer conversation.
Rep. Vicky Hartzler told Milley that his phone calls to China were 'worthy of your resignation' from heading the Joint Chiefs of Staff
'The Chinese thought wrongly that United States was going to attack them. I'm guaranteed certain that President Trump had no intent to attack and it was my task to make sure I communicated that, and the purpose was to de-escalate,' he said.
Milley's defense echoed much of the same points as his Tuesday statement.
'As part of that conversation, I said "General Li, there's not going to be a war, there's not going to be attack between great powers. If there was, the tension would build up, there would be calls going back between all kinds of senior officials." I said, "Hell, I'll probably give you a call but we're not going to attack you."'
Hartzler replied, 'I understand your intent but I think you articulating that, that you would tell him, you would give him a call, I think is worthy of your resignation. I just think that's against our country, that you would give our number one adversary that information.'
The allegations were made in 'Peril,' a new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. It cited Beijing's fears that Trump was looking to start a war with China as his potential election loss loomed.
Milley confirmed the broad premise of the book but denied that the calls were secret.
Another Republican lawmaker, Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), also pressed Milley on the calls.
The Tennessee Republican asked Milley if he made the calls to China because he was 'concerned' about Trump's mental state.
Wednesday's hearing marks the second time in two days that Milley is appearing before lawmakers to discuss Biden's Afghanistan withdrawal and his phone calls to China under Trump
Milley is appearing alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and US Central Command leader General Frank McKenzie
'No, I didn't. What I said to the call to China was, I guarantee you that President Trump is not going to attack you in a surprise attack. I was carrying out his intent, President Trump's intent, in order to protect the American people,' Milley answered.
DesJarlais asked Milley about another allegation in 'Peril,' where according to a transcript obtained by the authors Speaker Nancy Pelosi made disparaging comments about Trump.
Pelosi reportedly called the ex-president 'crazy' and asked 'Is there anybody in charge of the White House is doing anything but kissing his fat butt all over this?'
Milley admitted earlier this month that he did call his Chinese counterpart, General Li ZuoCheng, in October and January
Milley wouldn't say whether he recalled the exact question, but said he told the Speaker that he was not qualified to 'assess the mental health of the president.'
During the Wednesday hearing Milley also said it was then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper who directed him to make the calls to China after numerous intelligence reports indicated that Beijing feared an attack was imminent.
'I was directed by then-Secretary of Defense Esper. First, he directed his assistant secretary of Defense for Asia Pacific Affairs to make calls and then me. This is all done with oversight, and I tried to lay that out in the memoranda,' the embattled general said.
It comes after GOP Senator Josh Hawley said Joe Biden should fire his joint chief of staff and Secretary of Defense if they do not resign for their failure to take responsibility for the chaotic scenes in Afghanistan.
A Republican senator for Missouri who was at Tuesday's Senate hearing, Hawley said on Tuesday night that General Mark Milley and Secretary Lloyd Austin must face the ax over their unrepentant appearances before a Senate committee Tuesday.
Earlier in the day the country heard for the first time that the top generals advised the commander-in-chief to leave 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan to prevent a Taliban takeover. Republicans accused President Biden of lying to the American people, because he repeatedly said that he was not recommended to keep troops in the country.
Hawley, speaking to Fox News's Sean Hannity along with Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, said he was dismayed by the accounts of Milley and Austin.
Josh Hawley, Republican senator for Missouri, on Tuesday evening called on Biden to fire his Defense Secretary and his military chief if they did not resign, following the Afghanistan debacle
'Gen. Milley doesn't want any responsibility, Austin doesn't want responsibility, and most of all, Joe Biden doesn't want to take any responsibility, but it's time that they did, which is why all those guys should resign,' said Hawley.
'Milley needs to resign, Austin needs to resign.'
Hawley said he was particularly angered by Milley's admission on Tuesday that he spoke to journalist Bob Woodward, for his new book telling the story of the final stretch of the Trump administration.
'I mean Milley, he's sitting here trading gossip with Bob Woodward while Afghanistan literally burns, literally burns,' said Hawley.
'Accountability needs to start right there. He needs to resign, Austin needs to resign, the President should fire him.'
Cotton said that Biden had been 'lying' about the advice the generals gave him, and said he was doing it to 'cover up his tracks' in the aftermath of the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
'That's what we've heard today, that President Biden repeatedly rejected the advice of his military commanders and that's what led to this disaster and now he's been lying about it,' said Cotton.
'I think the very simple question is covering up his tracks in the middle of an ongoing fiasco.'
Tom Cotton (pictured left), senator for Arkansas, accused Biden of trying to 'cover his tracks' by insisting that he was never given the option by the generals of keeping 2,500 troops in Afghanistan as a stabilization force
Hawley said that Milley (pictured, far left) and Austin (right) should resign, or else be fired by Biden
Testimony provided earlier on Tuesday by the country's defense secretary and two senior generals contradicted Biden's claims he was never warned by military advisers that bringing home American soldiers risked the collapse of a fragile government in Kabul.
The result was a slew of furious accusations that Biden ignored advice and then lied to the country.
Hawley said during the hearing: 'Here's what I've learned so far: Number one, the president of the United States lied to the American people about the advice that you gave to him, about the military judgement that you provided for him.
'I think you've all testified to that effect now repeatedly.'
Biden has been under intense pressure to defend his handling of the withdrawal.
The Taliban moved rapidly across the country ahead of his August 31 deadline to get Americans out of Afghanistan, seizing the capital Kabul on August 15.
Biden and his officials have insisted the speed of their advance and the collapse of Afghan security forces took them by surprise.
In an August 18 interview with George Stephanopoulos, the president even denied that he withdrew troops against the recommendation of his senior military advisers.
But McKenzie, head of US Central Command and who oversaw the final days of the war in Afghanistan, said he repeatedly argued that a small presence of U.S. troops was essential for stability.
'I stated consistently that my position was, if you go below 2500 you're going to look at a collapse of the Afghan military,' he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
'I didn't I did not foresee it to be days ... I thought it would take months.'
In response, the White House tried to play down the testimony and the idea that Biden had ignored the advice of senior military advisers.
Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted that Biden had told Stephanopoulos that his advisers were divided, and later said that he was entitled to choose between a range of recommendations.
'He’s the commander in chief,' she said during the daily briefing. 'He’s the president.
'He makes decisions about that what’s in the national interest, and he believed we should end the war.'
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told senators on Tuesday that U.S. standing had been damaged by President Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin appeared before the Senate Armed Service Committee on Tuesday to defend the Biden administration's handling of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the subsequent civilian evacuation
Republican Senator Josh Hawley (l) accused President Biden of lying to the American people after hearing from General Frank McKenzie, head of US Central Command, that he recommended keeping 2500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan
He made his comments at the start of two days of intense scrutiny of the Biden administration's Afghan strategy, sitting alongside Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Milley also said his view had been that leaving the country, without meeting specific conditions, would likely lead to the collapse of the Afghan armed forces and government.
He told lawmakers: 'In the fall of 2020, my analysis was that an accelerated withdrawal without meeting specific and necessary conditions risks losing the substantial gains made in Afghanistan, damaging US worldwide credibility, and could precipitate a general collapse of the Afghan government, resulting in a complete Taliban takeover or general civil war.
'That was a year ago, my assessment remained consistent throughout.'
Some 3500 U.S. troops were in the country when President Biden was inaugurated.
Milley declined to say exactly what he advised the president, but that it was his personal view that 2500 American troops were needed to prevent collapse.
His words triggered immediate scrutiny of Biden's comments defending his actions in August at the height of the crisis.
During an interview with ABC News, he denied that his military advisers warned him against bringing home all troops or that at least 2500 were needed to prevent a Taliban takeover.
Republicans were quick to accuse President Biden of lying to the American public over the advice he got on withdrawing all U.S. troops from Afghanistan
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the new testimony did not contradict Biden's ABC News interview
'No one said that to me that I can recall,' he told interviewer Stephanopoulos.
Sen. Tom Cotton brought up the interview during the hearing, asking Austin whether Biden was telling the truth when he said that no senior military adviser told him to leave a small military presence.
After saying that Biden was an 'honest and forthright man,' Austin admitted: 'Their input was received by the president and considered by the president, for sure.
'In terms of what they specifically recommended senator, as they just said, they're not going to provide what they recommended in confidence.'
The testimony triggered a wave of condemnation.
Republican Senator Ben Sasse, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said: 'President Biden lied when he told the American people that nobody urged him to keep 2,500 troops in Afghanistan.
'Today, under oath, General McKenzie flatly contradicted the president. This is the worst American foreign policy disaster in a generation and the President is trying to cover his ass with political spin.'
Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, who sits on the armed services committee, said: 'From what we are hearing, President Biden rejected military advice to keep 2,500 troops in Afghanistan, and then lied about it to the American people.'
Mark Meadows, chief of staff in the Trump White House said: 'If it wasn’t already obvious, today’s Senate hearing confirmed: Joe Biden lied to the America people about his Afghanistan withdrawal plan.'
The president was entitled to reject the generals' advice, said Leon Panetta, who was secretary of defense under President Obama.
'But I do think it needs to be clear that the advice was given, and the advice was rejected,' he told CNN.
The episode has severely tested Biden's claim to be a foreign policy expert.
His approval ratings collapsed amid images of Afghans clinging to U.S. transport planes as they desperately sought to escape their new Taliban rulers.
A suicide blast killed 13 U.S. service personnel and 169 Afghans in the last days of the chaotic evacuation. Days later a drone strike killed 10 civilians despite U.S. claims the missile targeted terrorists in the final stages of launching an attack.
Gen. Milley and the others defended the drawdown but admitted the operation did not go smoothly.
'It was a logistical success but a strategic failure,' he said.
Impact on U.S. credibility
The speed of the withdrawal also triggered anger from U.S. allies, such as Britain, where ministers said they were blindsided by the rapid departure and the launch of a chaotic, frantic evacuation of foreign nationals.
Milley said the episode had a damaging impact on U.S. standing in the world.
'I think that our credibility with allies and partners around the world, and with adversaries, is being intensely reviewed by them to see which way this is going to go,' he said. 'And I think that damage is one word that could be used.'
It was left to Austin to defend the administration.
'I think our credibility remained solid ...' he said. 'Clearly there will be people who question things going forward.'
Senators on the Armed Services Committee also heard warnings that the country could still present a terrorist threat to American soil.
Officials have said all along that the rapid collapse of Afghanistan in 11 days, as the Taliban advanced rapidly across the country, took them by surprise.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Afghanistan, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on September 28, 2021
Afghan refugees are packed onto a C-19 Globemaster III military aircraft during last month's messy withdrawal from Afghanistan
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