Retired general says Milley’s calls with China are normal and being 'sensationalized'
On The Story With Martha MacCallum Wednesday, retired General Jack Keane joined the show, and became one of the few on the network coming to the defense of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley. Milley is accused in the upcoming book, Peril, of secretly calling his Chinese counterpart over the Chinese government’s supposed concerns that former President Trump would start a war in an effort to remain in office.
“General Milley’s making a phone call to provide reassurances, which is his job,” Keane said. “I mean, he's executing his responsibility and he’s doing it in concert with his own advisers and then sharing that with the interagency.”
While the alleged secrecy of the calls have enraged some Republicans, accusing him of treason and of undermining Trump, it was reported on Wednesday from Fox News’s Jennifer Griffin that the calls were in fact coordinated with high level Pentagon officials. Even Trump’s hand-picked Secretary of Defense Mark Esper reportedly took the lead on the first call. Keane believes that once all the facts come out, they’ll be much less salacious than the spin happening at the moment.
“I don’t see anything that is undermining the civilian control of the military,” Keane said. “If you took the facts, that are, I think, being sensationalized in this report, that would be an issue, as you (McCallum) just regurgitated here. But that is not what the Pentagon is reporting. It seems to be pretty much in sync with what we're used to seeing.”
Video transcript
JACK KEANE: General Milley's making a phone call to provide reassurances, which is his job. I mean, he's executing his responsibility and he's doing it in concert with his own advisors and then sharing that with the interagency.
KYLIE MAR: On the story with Martha MacCallum Wednesday, retired General, Jack Keane came to the defense of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Milley. In the upcoming book "Peril" by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, it's reported that Milley made secret calls with China over fears former President Trump might start a war. But Keane believes the story is being overblown.
JACK KEANE: If you took the facts that are, I think, being sensationalized in this report, that would be an issue. But that is not what the Pentagon is reporting. It seems to be pretty much in sync with what we're used to seeing.
KYLIE MAR: While Republicans have become enraged by the reporting calling Milley's actions, treasonous. It was reported Wednesday that the calls were, in fact, not secret and were coordinated with multiple high level Pentagon officials. And Keane believes the facts will be less salacious than they seem right now.
JACK KEANE: I think we're going to get all the facts on this, and I'd be surprised if it's anything more than what we're seeing right now. Leaders calling Chinese leaders to provide them with a degree of assurance because of their concerns.
KYLIE MAR: Keane also responded to demands by some conservatives for the release of the transcripts of Milley's calls with China.
JACK KEANE: Let's use some common sense here. Milley is-- is developing a relationship with an adversarial counterpart, and if we start releasing transcripts of those conversations that's just going to blow up the relationship.
