Prof. ST Hsieh
Director, US-China Energy Industry Forum
626-376-7460
September 29, 2023
It is truly sad to learn that former President Trump was called a “wannabe dictator” by his former top military advisor, General Milley, on his last day in the office. Then Trump openly threatened Milley with “death.” It prompted Milley to take “appropriate measures” for his and his family’s safety. However, there is no legal action at all. What happens to law and order?
The report that on January 6, 2021, “Milley secretly called his Chinese counterpart to reassure Beijing that the United States remained “stable” and had no intention to attack China” should be investigated too. Let us see what Milley’s Chinese counterpart’s reaction could be. He should inform his boss Xi immediately. Xi most likely would call up his “national security council” for an emergency meeting. The first question would be “is Milley accountable?” The next question would be “should Xi call Trump immediately?”
As of now, the US and west governments are openly concerned about the whereabouts Chinese Defense Minister, because he has not been seen in the public for about one-month already. But the “political nightmare” in the US should be the top priority! Everyone should take a deep breath and get ready for “wannabe dictator:” Trump II in 2024!
The US has openly labeled Xi as a dictator, it would be an unprecedented match when Trump II faces Xi after 2024.
Top US military officer steps down with ‘dictator’ swipe at Trump
W.G. DUNLOP
Fri, September 29, 2023 at 10:12 AM PDT
General Mark Milley stepped down Friday as the top US military officer with a parting swipe at his former boss Donald Trump, saying no soldier ever swore an oath to serve a “wannabe dictator.”
The stunning rebuke from Milley on his last day as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff illustrated the way the US military has been dragged into the increasingly volatile political arena since the Trump era.
At an elaborate military ceremony for his departure — attended by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and President Joe Biden — Milley did not name Trump, but there was no doubt about the target of his barb.
“We don’t take an oath to a king, or queen, or a tyrant or a dictator,” Milley said of American soldiers. “And we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator.”
But he faced his highest-stakes challenge when Trump appointed him in 2019 to the career pinnacle of senior military advisor to the president.
During a four-year term — continuing under Biden from 2021 — Milley managed the harrowing exit of US troops from Afghanistan, special forces operations in Syria, and the enormous program to assist Ukraine’s desperate fight against Russian invasion.
As chairman, “it was one crisis right after another,” Milley told AFP last month.
Milley’s years at the top, however, also saw the military involved in an unusual number of politicized controversies.
And that was nothing compared to the precarious situation Milley found himself in during the lead-up to and aftermath of the 2020 presidential election — in which Trump, in an unprecedented political nightmare for the United States, refused to accept defeat.
At the height of tensions after Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, Milley secretly called his Chinese counterpart to reassure Beijing that the United States remained “stable” and had no intention to attack China, according to the book “Peril” by Bob Woodward.
That revelation has caused lasting fury for Trump, who just this month wrote on his social media network that “in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!” for Milley.
– Threats and attacks –
The barely veiled threat from Trump — the clear frontrunner to be the Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential election — prompted Milley to take “appropriate measures” for his safety, he told CBS News.
Milley in farewell speech: ‘We don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator’
Eric Bazail-Eimil
Fri, September 29, 2023 at 10:12 AM PDT
Gen. Mark Milley used his final speech as Joint Chiefs chair on Friday to emphasize that troops take an oath to the Constitution and not to a “wannabe dictator,” days after former President Donald Trump suggested the nation’s top officer should be put to death.
In an impassioned speech during his retirement ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Va., Milley spoke of the continued bravery of American service members and underscored that the oath they take to protect the Constitution encompasses “all enemies, foreign and domestic,” emphasizing “all” and “and.”
“We don’t take an oath to a king, or a queen, or to a tyrant or dictator, and we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator,” Milley said.
“Every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, guardian and Coast Guardsman, each of us commits our very life to protect and defend that document, regardless of personal price,” Milley continued. “And we are not easily intimidated.”
Though the general did not mention Trump by name, the sharp rebuke came one week after Trump lashed out at Milley on social media over reports that the general had contacted his Chinese counterpart during the Trump administration to assure them the U.S. was not preparing to attack.
Trump last Friday called Milley “a Woke train wreck who, if the Fake News reporting is correct, was actually dealing with China to give them a heads up on the thinking of the President of the United States.”
“This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!” Trump continued.
In an interview with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell this week, Milley confirmed he was taking “adequate safety precautions,” when asked about Trump’s comments.
“I wish those comments had not been made, and I’ll take appropriate measures to ensure my safety and the safety of my family,” Milley said.
Top US general Milley takes apparent jab at Trump as he retires
Phil Stewart, Nandita Bose and Idrees Ali
Updated Fri, September 29, 2023 at 2:00 PM PDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Top U.S. general Mark Milley retired on Friday after a four-year tenure, saying in a speech that U.S. troops take an oath to the Constitution and not a “wannabe dictator,” an apparent swipe at former President Donald Trump.
But it also included the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan two years ago and a rocky relationship with Trump.
“We don’t take an oath a king or queen or a tyrant or dictator. We don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator. We don’t take an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the Constitution,” Milley during a ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall near Washington.
ROCKY RELATIONSHIP WITH TRUMP
Milley took the reins in 2019 after being nominated by Trump, but soon found himself having to balance the need to maintain his relationship with him without appearing to be political.
Milley said on Wednesday he would take measures to protect his family after Trump suggested he had colluded with China in an act he said would have once warranted death.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s salary would be cut to $1 under Marjorie Taylor Greene proposal