Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, chose not to resign after growing increasingly disillusioned with then-President Trump in 2020, according to an upcoming book, instead vowing to “fight from the inside” against what he perceived as an erratic and dangerous commander in chief.
The revelations were revealed in an excerpt of “The Divider: Trump in The White House” from New York Times writer Peter Baker and The New Yorker’s Susan Glasser.
The excerpt, published in The New Yorker, details Milley’s ascent to chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noting he was warned against taking the position by former Defense Secretary James Mattis and former White House chief of staff John Kelley.
Milley reportedly came to the realization Trump was “doing great and irreparable harm,” as he wrote in a draft resignation letter in June of 2020.
But after the events at Lafayette Square, when Milley was seen with Trump posing for a photo-op at a church near the square after police tear-gassed those protesting against police brutality and racial injustice, Milley decided he would rather “fight him” than quit, Baker and Glasser write.
“If they want to court-martial me, or put me in prison, have at it,” Milley told his staff at the time, according to the book excerpt. “But I will fight from the inside.”
Milley reportedly drafted four goals: stop Trump from starting an unnecessary war overseas; make sure the military was not used in the streets against the American people to keep Trump in power; and maintain both his integrity and the military’s.
He was tested on that in the unfolding months over concerns in the Middle East, including tensions Trump nearly escalated with Iran and a proposed complete withdrawal from Afghanistan that was haphazardly planned, the authors note.
Once Trump falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen, Milley was prepared to ensure the military was not abused for his aim, they added.
On the day of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Milley ordered the D.C. National Guard to quell the pro-Trump mob that had stormed the federal building in an attempt to overturn certification of the 2020 election, but the troops’ deployment was delayed.
According to the book, Milley never heard from Trump spoke but with then-Vice President Mike Pence that day.
The president’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, did call, the authors write, which Milley dismissed as “politics, politics, politics.”
In September of 2021, Milley defended contacts with his Chinese counterpart near the end of the Trump administration as well as his decision to call a meeting of senior military officials to review the procedures for launching deadly weapons.
Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee the calls were generated by “concerning intelligence” that caused American officials to believe the Chinese were worried about an attack on them by the U.S.
Milley also expanded on a phone call that he received from Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) during which she asked about Trump’s ability to launch nuclear weapons. Pelosi raised the concerns on Jan. 8, 2021, two days after the attack on the Capitol.
Updated at 8:10 a.m.