Book Says Gen. Milley Secretly Acted to Limit Trump's Nuclear Powers and Reassure Chinese Counterpart After Jan. 6

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley secretly contacted his Chinese counterpart before the 2020 election and after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according to a new book by The Washington Post’s Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. Milley reportedly called his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Li Zuocheng, on October 30 to reassure him that the U.S. was not planning an attack after China raised concerns over U.S. military exercises and rhetoric from former President Donald Trump. After Jan. 6, Milley reportedly told Li that “We are 100 percent steady. Everything’s fine. But democracy can be sloppy sometimes.” Milley also reportedly held a secret meeting after the riot in which he reviewed the process for launching nuclear weapons and told senior military officials to only take orders if he was involved. Milley also reportedly held a call with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Jan. 8 in which he agreed with her evaluation that Trump was unstable. The book, titled “Peril,” is based on over 200 anonymous interviews and will be released next week.

Most coverage focused on Milley’s reported calls with Li. Some coverage in left- and center-rated outlets focused on Milley’s reported meeting with military officials; CNN said the book “recounts behind-the-scenes moments of a commander in chief unhinged and explosive.” Some right-rated outlets featured their coverage with opinion articles calling for Milley’s removal; a Fox News headline said Milley “worked with enemy behind Trump’s back.”