I wouldn't 'do a coup' with Milley, Trump says of top U.S. general
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[July 16, 2021]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former
President Donald Trump on Thursday slammed the top U.S. general he had
appointed after allegations in a new book that senior uniformed military
leaders were deeply concerned about the potential for a coup after the
November election and had discussed a plan to resign.
According to excerpts obtained by CNN from the upcoming book "I Alone
Can Fix It," written by two Washington Post journalists, Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley and other senior U.S. military
leaders discussed resigning in the event they received orders they
considered illegal or dangerous.
"I never threatened, or spoke about, to anyone, a coup of our Government
... If I was going to do a coup, one of the last people I would want to
do it with is General Mark Milley," Trump said in a statement.
U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, had privately
acknowledged concerns that Trump might attempt to draw in the military
to quash dissent, as fears about Trump's potential misuse of the
Insurrection Act mounted.
A planned, orderly resignation by the members of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff had not been previously reported.
Reuters could not independently confirm the account by the Post
reporters and Milley's office did not immediately respond to a request
for comment.
The publisher of the book declined to provide excerpts and did not
confirm or deny the veracity of the CNN account.
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U.S. Army General Mark Milley testifies at a Senate Armed Services
Committee hearing on his nomination to become the Army's chief of
staff, on Capitol Hill in Washington July 21, 2015. REUTERS/Jonathan
Ernst/File Photo
Trump selected Milley for the top military position
in 2018, despite then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis favoring the
chief of the Air Force for the position.
Mattis resigned as defense secretary in 2018 over policy differences
and since then Trump has branded him "the world's most overrated
general."
"(Milley) got his job only because the world's most overrated
general, James Mattis, could not stand him, had no respect for him,
and would not recommend him," Trump said in the statement.
Milley and Trump's relationship deteriorated last year after the
U.S. military officer publicly apologized for joining the president
as he walked from the White House to a nearby church for a photo
opportunity.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by Karishma
Singh)
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