this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2023
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In an interview on “60 Minutes” on Wednesday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley said he will take “appropriate measures” to make sure he and his family are safe in the wake of recent comments made by former President Trump.

Milley’s words come after a Truth Social post by Trump last week calling the chairman a “Woke train wreck” and accusing him of treason, seeming to reference calls made by Milley to China for reassurance at the end of Trump’s term.

“This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!” Trump’s post read. “A war between China and the United States could have been the result of this treasonous act. To be continued!!!”

“I’ve got adequate safety precautions,” the military leader said in response to a question about his concern about his safety from CBS’s Norah O’Donnell.

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[–] ViewSonik@lemmy.world 120 points 2 years ago

Trump should be in prison along with all of his co-conspirators. The longer he stays free, the more crimes he commits.

[–] BassTurd@lemmy.world 68 points 2 years ago (1 children)

It would be really cool if a judge, any judge, would grow a fucking spine and treat Trump like everyone else. Stay the motherfucker, place a gag order, and lock him up until trial, just like every other normal citizen. Fuck this special treatment bullshit.

[–] TurboDiesel@lemmy.world 46 points 2 years ago (3 children)

How stupid do you have to be to threaten a 4-star army general?

Well, I guess as stupid as Trump, but still it defies logic.

[–] ki77erb@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago

In a normal world it would be incredibly stupid. In the reality that we're living in, insulting military members, even wounded veterans can appeal to a certain crowd. Even ironically if some of the people in the crowd are military members or wounded veterans. The number one rule when you're in a cult, is that the cult leader is always right.

[–] CADmonkey@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

One has to wonder if Milley was thinking "Yeah? Him and what army"

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

Well it's not like he's gonna face any consequences from it.

[–] paddirn@lemmy.world 46 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Yet if any other citizen were to make comments like that about a government official, we’d already be locked up. How many lines does he have to cross before somebody will get the balls to throw the book at him?

[–] Gork@lemm.ee 26 points 2 years ago

He could literally shoot someone on 5th Avenue and get away with it.

[–] BeautifulMind@lemmy.world 34 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Y'know what might be an appropriate measure? Prosecute people that stoke or incite violence against our troops

[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 14 points 2 years ago

Against any other person really

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 2 years ago

Call it what it is: terrorism.

[–] Binthinkin@kbin.social 24 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Trump threatening military with goons is laughable.

[–] Rapidcreek@reddthat.com 17 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I am certain General Miley knows how to stand his ground.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 29 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Standing ground won't help if someone is shooting you from a distance. Or sending you a mail bomb or anthrax. Lots of ways he could be killed, sadly.

[–] Rapidcreek@reddthat.com 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Ah, but Miley has friends with tanks.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

There is a certain advantage to being a four star general in the US Army in regards to personal safety.

[–] Maeve@kbin.social -1 points 2 years ago

“Not your personal army” comes to mind.

[–] RojoSanIchiban@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

And drones with Hellfire missiles.........

(cue Ride of the Valkyries outside Mar-a-Lardo)

[–] BigNote@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The guy is surrounded by a team composed of some of the most elite, highly-trained and experienced security experts on the planet. I don't think he has much to worry about. His security detail will be composed of tier 1 operators; the elite of the elite.

[–] vimdiesel@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

I seriously doubt that. I'm sure he has a secret agent or two for protection, but I think you're making this up.

[–] 18_24_61_b_17_17_4@lemmy.world 14 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Bit of projection there in Trump's post, eh?

[–] Sweetpeaches69@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago

Projection? Funny, I know that as the GOP special.

[–] Fisk400@feddit.nu 11 points 2 years ago (2 children)
[–] Muehe@lemmy.ml 32 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Basically in his role as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (a council of the different military branches) he called his Chinese counterpart during the election chaos to assure them Trump couldn't unilaterally declare war on China:

Woodward and Costa describe how Milley learned in October 2020 that the Chinese had become concerned that Trump would preemptively attack China because Trump was losing the 2020 election and his rhetoric against China was growing increasingly hostile.

Milley again called his Chinese counterpart on Jan. 8, 2021, two days after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, to again reassure him that the American government was stable and not an immediate threat to China.

Source

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 years ago

That sounds more like the actuoi of someone desperai trying to put out fires whilst Trump was tossing gasoline everywhere

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

He didn't try to launch a military coup.

[–] Fisk400@feddit.nu 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

In general or was there a specific Mike Pence situation where he just refused to commit treason?

[–] Heresy_generator@kbin.social 10 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Reportedly Milley anticipated Trump attempting a coup and actively worked behind the scenes to make sure it wouldn't work.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/15/politics/milley-trump-politics-january-6/index.html

Milley was deeply concerned Trump and his allies might attempt a coup after the November 2020 election, and he compared Trump’s lies about election fraud to the rhetoric used by Adolf Hitler as he rose to power in Germany.

“This is a Reichstag moment,” Milley told his aides, according to the book. “The gospel of the Führer.”
...
The official acknowledged that during the final weeks of the Trump administration, Milley engaged in activities and communications not part of the traditional portfolio of a Joint Chiefs chairman, carrying a heavier political load to keep Trump in check. While Milley “tried his hardest to actively stay out of politics,” the official said, if the events that occurred brought him into that arena temporarily, “so be it.”

“He’s not going to sit in silence while people try to use the military against Americans,” the official said.
...
After the election, Trump’s blustery rhetoric turned into action when he fired Esper and installed loyalists at the Pentagon, raising Milley’s fears that Trump or his allies could try to attempt a coup to overturn the election results.

According to Leonnig and Rucker, Milley was shaken by the threat of a coup and felt he had to be “on guard” for what might come.

“They may try, but they’re not going to f**king succeed,” Milley told his deputies, according to the authors. “You can’t do this without the military. You can’t do this without the CIA and the FBI. We’re the guys with the guns.”

Milley and the rest of the Joint Chiefs informally planned for what they would do in the event of an order they deemed illegal, dangerous or ill-advised, including a proposal to resign, one-by-one, rather than carry out the orders.

After the January 6 attack, Milley and the entire Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a statement condemning the “sedition and insurrection” of the rioters who breached the Capitol and attacked police officers.

Milley focused his efforts on ensuring there was a “ring of steel” around the city for the January 20 inauguration of President Joe Biden, according to Leonnig and Rucker. “We’re going to put a ring of steel around this city and the Nazis aren’t getting in,” Milley said.

They hate him because he lived up to his oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. They hate him because he's an actual patriot.

[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

This is the best summary I could come up with:


In an interview on “60 Minutes” on Wednesday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley said he will take “appropriate measures” to make sure he and his family are safe in the wake of recent comments made by former President Trump.

Milley’s words come after a Truth Social post by Trump last week calling the chairman a “Woke train wreck” and accusing him of treason, seeming to reference calls made by Milley to China for reassurance at the end of Trump’s term.

“This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!” Trump’s post read.

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper expressed his concerns Monday about retaliation by the former president against people whom he has had strife with — such as Milley — if he returns to office, calling them “legitimate.”

“Look, I think it’s a legitimate fear,” Esper told CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins.

“If you recall from my memoir … I cite a circumstance where [Trump], egged on by his close advisers, wanted to call back to active duty Adm. McRaven and Gen. McChrystal, to court-martial them, for some things that they allegedly said in in the public domain, and Milley and I had to talk the president out of doing that, for any number of reasons.”


The original article contains 284 words, the summary contains 215 words. Saved 24%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 17 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Less a dog whistle and more of a signal flare.

[–] Kbobabob@lemmy.world 13 points 2 years ago (1 children)

What have it away? DEATH in all caps? It was DEATH in all caps, wasn't it.

[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago

Maybe someone will rid him of that turbulent priest.

[–] stevedidWHAT@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Honestly, I gotta say maybe Trump is what the country needs.

CALM DOWN

hi

He’s exactly what we need to see the exact special treatment that the rich and powerful get. He’s the shinning example of what kind of shit gets to fly through our machine unscathed.

[–] ilickfrogs@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Could you imagine if a random charismatic person was the cause of Jan 6th? They'd be rotting in prison for the rest of their life. But oh golly gee, a rich guy? It's ok, he won't do it again.

[–] stevedidWHAT@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

You know what they say

Some of those who work forces

[–] Hanabie@sh.itjust.works 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

How are death threats legal in the USA?

[–] TwoGems@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

They're only legal if you're Republican.

Kathy Griffin got blacklisted+investigated for holding up a fake severed Trump head.

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/23/716258113/kathy-griffin-life-after-the-trump-severed-head-controversy

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kathy-griffin-on-death-threats-cancellations-investigations-over-trump-severed-head-photo/

But be a Republican politician making death threats and the DOJ will wrist slap you. It's quite clear the bias our DOJ has always had. Other countries like Canada consider some of our extremists terrorists, and we're still handing them baby sentences for an insurrection.

[–] cybersandwich@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 4 months ago)