Banks, Grassley Press Pentagon IG For Answers On Mark Milley’s ‘Alleged Misconduct’
Republican Sens. Jim Banks of Indiana and Chuck Grassley of Iowa are seeking answers about the Pentagon’s inquiry into retired Gen. Mark Milley’s “alleged misconduct” during his time leading the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“The nation’s highest-ranking military officer has a solemn responsibility to set an example of excellence and to model good conduct for all American service members. The record suggests that General Milley failed to meet those standards,” the senators wrote in their Tuesday letter to Acting Defense Department Inspector General Steven Stebbins.
In their communique, Banks and Grassley cited a separate request they sent the DOD inspector general’s office in August 2022, in which they asked that a probe be opened into Milley over reported offenses he allegedly committed while serving under President Trump. This included purported actions that amounted to “tamper[ing] with the statutory chain of command” and “undermining the Constitutional principle of civilian control of the military.”
In 2021, it was reported that Milley told his counterpart in the Chinese military that the U.S. had no intention of attacking China, and that he would “call [Beijing] ahead of time” if Trump were to launch such an offensive. A Milley spokesman released a statement that same year confirming the general’s talks with the Chinese. The statement did not specifically deny the reports of Milley allegedly informing his Beijing associate that he would warn China ahead of an impending U.S. attack.
The retired Army general has also reportedly called Trump a “fascist to the core,” and seemingly referred to the president as a “wannabe dictator” in his 2023 retirement speech.
According to Banks and Grassley, the Pentagon’s office of the inspector general under President Biden “refus[ed] to investigate” Milley’s alleged actions, which they argued “allowed Milley to dodge responsibility.”
Weeks after being confirmed to lead the agency, it was reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth yanked Milley’s personal security detail and clearance. He also ordered Stebbins to “conduct a review board to determine if enough evidence exists for Gen. Milley to be stripped of a star in retirement based on his actions to ‘undermine the chain of command’ during President Donald Trump’s first term.”
While acknowledging that Hegseth’s request “takes priority,” Banks and Grassley noted that the defense secretary’s “request runs parallel to ours,” and that once the DODIG’s investigation “is completed, we will expect some long overdue answers from the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General (DoD OIG) to our questions …”
“[Gen. Milley’s] conduct and willful undermining of his Commander-in-Chief posed a grave threat to civilian control of the military,” the senators wrote. “The issues raised by Milley’s alleged misconduct are too important to be swept under the rug. They must be examined, and if substantiated, General Milley should be held accountable.”
Milley stepped down as Joint Chiefs chair in 2023 and was replaced by Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown. A major proponent of radical DEI ideology, Brown was fired by Trump earlier this year, and has since been replaced by Air Force Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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