Former President Joe Biden issued retired Gen. Mark Milley a preemptive pardon for a reason. At the very least, his actions during his tenure as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warranted a thorough investigation – an avenue Biden hoped his sweeping pardon would effectively close. As it turns out, there is more than one way to skin a cat.
On Tuesday night, the Pentagon announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revoked Milley’s security clearance and personal security detail. Additionally, he has ordered the Pentagon’s inspector general to investigate Milley’s actions to determine if a demotion is in order.
According to Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot, the inspector general review will consist of “an inquiry into the facts and circumstances surrounding Gen. Milley’s conduct so that the Secretary may determine whether it is appropriate to reopen his military grade review determination.” In other words, Milley may ultimately be stripped of his fourth star.
“The Secretary informed General Milley today that he is revoking the authorization for his security detail and suspending his security clearance as well,” Ullyot said.
You may recall that shortly after President Trump took his oath of office last week, a portrait of Milley that had been unveiled only ten days earlier inside the Pentagon, was removed. Sources told Fox News on Tuesday that a second portrait of Milley, one that hangs in “the Army’s Marshall Corridor on the third floor honoring his service as chief-of-staff of the Army,” would also be removed perhaps “as soon as tonight.”
So why do Trump administration officials so revile the retired general? Sources told Fox that it stemmed from his alleged actions to “undermine the chain of command” during Trump’s first term.
Another source told Fox, “There is a new era of accountability in the Defense Department under President Trump’s leadership—and that’s exactly what the American people expect.”
Milley was especially candid in his conversations with journalist Bob Woodward, who has recounted some of them in his books. In his latest book, “War,” conveniently released three weeks ahead of the 2024 election, Woodward alleged that, in March 2023, Milley told him Trump was “fascist to the core.”
According to the Independent, Milley told Woodward, “He is the most dangerous person ever. I had suspicions when I talked to you about his mental decline and so forth, but now I realize he’s a total fascist. He is now the most dangerous person to this country.”
In an earlier book, Woodward claimed Milley “shared with me his worries about Trump’s mental stability and control of nuclear weapons.”
In another Woodward book, “Peril,” coauthored by Robert Costa, we learned Milley had contacted his Chinese counterpart twice in the waning months of the Trump administration to report that “the U.S. military had no plans to strike China in a bid to avert tensions between nuclear-armed countries.”
Milley also allegedly informed his counterpart that he would alert him if Trump were to plan any surprise attacks. If true, this act raises serious concerns, ranging from disloyalty to potential treason, and demands a full investigation.
Milley was also a source for a 2022 book written by New Yorker writer Susan Glasser titled, “The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021.” He revealed that he was so humiliated by Trump on one occasion that he wrote a letter of resignation, which he obviously never sent.
After Black Lives Matter activists attempted to burn down St. John’s Church in Washington, D.C.’s Lafayette Square in June 2020, Trump memorably walked to the site with several officials, including Milley, and held up a Bible in a widely publicized photo-op.
The media was highly critical of the event, alleging that BLM protesters had been “violently” cleared from Lafayette Square by the U.S. Park Police for the sole purpose of the photo-op. One year later, a government report revealed the park had been cleared for fence installation following property damage and officer injuries during the riots.
Anyway, because military members are expected to remain apolitical and he had participated in a “political event,” Milley was filled with remorse. And during a pre-recorded commencement address to the graduating class of the National Defense University, Milley apologized. He said, “I should never have been there.”
And he proceeded to pen his missive to Trump. It is a boastful, four-paragraph letter written by a disgruntled subordinate with little sense of self-awareness. He tells the president he’s done some “deep soul-searching” and “can no longer faithfully support and execute your orders.” The letter can be viewed here.
Hence, Milley is persona non grata at the Pentagon. Biden may have placed Milley beyond the reach of the law, but Hegseth has found another way to retaliate. And it’s gotta hurt.
Elizabeth writes commentary for The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation and a member of the Editorial Board at The Sixteenth Council, a London think tank. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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