US General told China, 'I will tell you in
advance, if we’re going to attack you...'
|
President Biden has expressed “complete confidence” in Gen Mark Milley even as former Prez Trump and Republicans accuse the General of treason for calling the Chinese General Li behind his back and telling him “If we’re going to attack" he will inform him beforehand, and asked the General to step down for overstepping his authority by sidelining the civilian command (of Trump) during the tumultuous last days of the former Prez in office. The shameful Trump chapter in American history is not going to close so soon! |
WASHINGTON, Sept 16: President Joe Biden has expressed confidence in Gen Mark
Milley who is facing calls for resignation for allegedly overstepping his authority
during Donald Trump's presidency by calling his Chinese counterpart Li Zuocheng
to assure the latter there was no threat of an attack from the US even as there
was widespread apprehension that Trump, losing in the presidential race, would
go erratic by ordering a nuclear strike against China.
“I have great confidence in Gen. Milley,” Biden said when asked by a reporter
whether Milley had done the right thing.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley's office has clarified that
he regularly contacts foreign military leaders as is the practice. One other
version from the office said Gren Milley apprehended Trump might spark a war
with China and that he sought to clear the Chinese suspicion following the political
turmoil in the US post-election.
Gen Milley's China call came to light in an investigative report in the Washington
Post by journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa on Tuesday, which is also
being published as a book titled 'Peril'.
“General Li, I want to assure you that the American government is stable and
everything is going to be okay,” Milley told him in the first call, according
to the book. “We are not going to attack or conduct any kinetic operations against
you.”
“If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time. It’s not going
to be a surprise,” Milley reportedly said.
The second call was meant to placate Chinese fears about the events of January
6. But the book reports that Li wasn’t as easily assuaged, even after Milley
promised him: “We are 100 percent steady. Everything’s fine. But democracy can
be sloppy sometimes,” AP quoted.
First call took place on October 30, 2020, four days before the election Trump
lost, and the other on January 8, 2021, two days after the Capitol siege and
rampage by thugs instigated by Trump when the results were being certified.
According to the Washington Post report, which has not been denied by the General's
office, rather only endorsed by its explanation, Gen Milley is on record talking
to the Chinese General twice, late in 2020 and in January 2021 when the presidential
results were out.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday that Biden has
“complete confidence” in Gen Milley. Psaki said Biden thinks Milley is a “man
of honour”.
According to the report, Gen Milley assured Li Zuocheng, the top Chinese General,
that the US would not attack China and that he would inform him of an attack
if it were to happen. “If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead
of time. It’s not going to be a surprise,” the book quotes Gen Milley as telling
Gen Li.
Following the revelation, Republicans asked Gen Milley resign, accusing him
of treason. They said he violated the elected civilian leadership’s control
over the military. Gen Milley was appointed by Trump in 2018.
Gen Milley’s office released its own statement also denying any wrongdoing,
stating that he regularly contacts foreign counterparts. “His calls with the
Chinese and others in October and January were in keeping with these duties
and responsibilities conveying reassurance in order to maintain strategic stability,”
Dave Butler, a spokesperson for Milley, said.
“All calls from the Chairman to his counterparts, including those reported,
are staffed, coordinated and communicated with the Department of Defense and
the interagency,” he added.
Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby also said that Secretary of Defense Lloyd
Austin has “full trust and confidence” in Gen Milley.
Trump, meanwhile, dismissed the notion that he ever planned an attack on China.
Milley had thought Trump had a mental issue and his suspicion grew when House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi called him on January 8 to share the general apprehension
in the Capitol. In the political turmoil that followed the election, China had
good enough reason to believe Trump would resort to some adventure like an attack
on his enemy, China. Therefore, Gen Milley sought to reassure the Chinese!
|
|
|
|
|
SELECTIONS FROM OUR ARCHIVES |
|
Top Govt officer thrashed, kicked inside Bhubaneswar office: Incident sparks a debate
| |
The incident has triggered a debate on social media whether the officer refused to take orders from a party leader or he was accused of any corruption, some netizens justifying the handling in either case, that Ratnakar was blocking public welfare work! It is true the Govt machinery has been the enemy Number One of the people of this country, existing for itself and for these politicians, for well over seven decades. India will never make an inch of progress - real progress, not make-believe-progress - unless and until this machinery is eliminated.
|
|
UK's House of Commons votes to legalise assisted dying: What it means | |
ANALYSIS: There have been cases of Britons going to Switzerland to get rid of a miserable life. Now once the House of Lords also passes the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, terminally ill Britons can call it quits with the help of a medical practitioner here itself. But the measure when comes into practice, will have very serious social consequences, it is feared. There won't be comparisons, even as tropes in Latin American folklores. The worst case scenario is of those who are not terminally ill also trying to misuse the provision to leave this world early when life with dignity is not available. But that is, in fact, a political question and not a moral imbroglio!
|
|
What caused Air India Boeing 787 crash? Some questions, some answers | |
The CCTV footage and the video circulating on social media do not indicate any serious abnormalities in takeoff or descent, it has been confirmed. The disaster is becoming curiouser and curiouser. The flight path was not curvy. And the aircraft maintained a steady, gliding descent with its nose straight and the wings perfectly level. The pilot's distress call does not specify what prevented lift and climb-out. Here are some expert opinions. The sole purpose is to raise travellers' awareness about air travel.
|
|
Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla line brings Kashmir Valley on India's rail map |
- The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla line provides Kashmir with all-weather connectivity and integrates the Valley with the rest of India.
- The saying 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' is now a dream come true.
- The Chenab bridge on the line, an engineering marvel, is the world's highest
railway bridge, taller than the Eiffel Tower. (Video: File)
|
|
Work done, Elon Musk steps down from DOGE, leaves White House | |
Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.
PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.
Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people.
(Today's headlines )
|
|
Ailing Asiatic lion Pataudi too dies of bird flu at Kanpur zoo
| |
Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.
Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.
|
|
48 tourist destinations closed in Kashmir following Pahalgam terror attack
| |
As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.
|
|
Trump slaps ‘kind’, ‘reciprocal’ tariffs on trading partners; a 'lenient' 26% on India!
|
ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!
What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America!
(Today's headlines )
|
|
Trump signs order to shut Education Dept - And the contrast with India
|
PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).
In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.
|
|
Sunita, Wilmore's Dragon splashes down in Gulf: What delayed their return? |
THE AMERICAN CONUNDRUM: Political venom has migrated to top echelons in the US. It was reported last year NASA has become politicised, vitiated. But NASA refuted the charge. How Boeing developed a glitch but its unmanned return was smooth. When Suni-Wilmore were stranded last June, why the return was set for February? Because that comes only after January 20! SpaceX called the shots, for itself and for Trump. Then the mission was manipulated for March for a better bargain! In between, what made Elon Musk 'predict' during campaign if Kamala Harris wins he would be in jail. In politics, it is said, "the only rule is there are no rules." Difficult times for Americans too.
|
|
All 80k health workers in US offered $25,000 voluntary buyout: Administering wrong prescriptions!
| |
The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.
|
|
|
|
|
Previous Files
|
|
|
|
ARCHIVES
|
|
Visit Indian Travel Sites
Goa,
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Sikkim,
Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir
Gujarat
Puducherry
|
|
|
|
Neighbours Calling
Bhutan
Nepal
Malaysia
Dubai
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Visit Indian Travel Sites
Goa,
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Sikkim,
Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir
Gujarat
Puducherry
|
|
|