Aren't You Glad the Head of the Joint Chiefs Didn't Call Maduro to Tell Him We Were Coming?

PJ Media ^ | 1/7/2026 | Victoria Taft

[simpson96]

Imagine a chairman of the Joint Chiefs who hated the president so deeply, who was so sure he was right and the president was wrong, and was so addled by a deep derangement syndrome that he would tremulously call our adversaries to assure them that whatever that crazy president said, he'd have their back … to maintain "strategic stability," you understand.

He'd be the check on the president. He could engage in "freelance diplomacy" and always maintain a virtual veto over the president's geopolitical moves and even call the opposition party's top official to give them talking points.

Would his secret phone calls to U.S. adversaries "exceed his responsibilities as the country’s leading military officer, undermine the powers of the president and set a dangerous precedent for American civil-military relations"?

Who's the crazy one again?

Mark Milley did all that. The man who was more concerned about wokeness, "white rage," DEI, men wearing skirts in the military, and the feelings of our adversaries did all of that and worse.

Now imagine this guy, Joint Chiefs chairman, General Dan "Raizin'" Caine, calling Maduro, Iran, China, and Russia to tell them that we were planning to take away their gas credit cards and ignore the president's game of, if not 4D chess, Jenga, as Charlie put it recently.

Yet, that's pretty much what General Mike Milley did to President Trump 45. He defanged and disarmed the biggest dealmaker in the business to frame himself as the only adult in the room. He subsumed Trump's role and, in his phone calls with the People's Liberation Army commander, assured him that if that crazy president started talking about nuking the ChiComs, he'd be Milley's first call.

[Bob434]

some liberal hack judge will probably try to claim the arrest wasn’t legal because the US didn’t warn him they were going after him

[MayflowerMadam]

Yup. In a way it’s good that Milley planted the seed in PDJT’s head that he should be careful about who knows what, and when.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

Trump is his boss. The chess master, who may ir may not have intentions to attack China. We know sometimes he uses both carrots and sticks and exaggerating his asking price so he get what he wants.

Here's Milley's testimony on that:

Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivered a full-throated defense of two calls he made to his Chinese counterpart, saying he was responding to "concerning intelligence" that China was worried about a U.S. attack.

"I know, I am certain, that President Trump did not intend to attack the Chinese and it was my directed responsibility to convey presidential orders and intent," Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. "My task at that time was to de-escalate. My message again was consistent: Stay calm, steady, and de-escalate. We are not going to attack you."

In his most extensive comments to date on the matter, Milley said that the calls on Oct. 30 and Jan. 8 were fully coordinated with the defense secretaries at the time as well as other U.S. national security agencies.

Milley said the October call was made at the direction of then-Defense chief Mark Esper and the second was done at the request of the Chinese and coordinated with then-acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller's office.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-gen-milley-explains-his-calls-with-china-over-concerns-about-president-trump

Again, I can't stand Milley. But there was nothing wrong in what he did here.

[Colt1851Navy]

Should have busted him to E-5, or Corporal if you will.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

Wasn’t the implication that Milley would not allow the President to launch the missiles, he’d prevent the military from executing his orders because Orange man bad?

There was a separate phone call from Pelosi at some point after January 6. He testified about that as well:

Milley also addressed a call he received from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He said Pelosi "called me to inquire about the president's ability to launch nuclear weapons. I sought to assure her that nuclear launch is governed by a very specific and deliberate process."

He said he assured her that while the president is the sole nuclear launch authority, "he doesn't launch them alone." He said that as chairman he is part of the launch decision process.

"There are processes, protocols, and procedures in place and I repeatedly assured her there is no chance of an illegal, unauthorized, or accidental launch," Milley said.

He said that after the call was over, he had a short meeting with staff to go over the process. He also said he informed Miller of the call at the time.

That's from the same article I linked above. And the "Miller" referred to would have been the Secretary of Defense -- his immediate superior in the Chain of Command.

[spintreebob]

Everyone who was watching the news the last 45 days new that this capture of Maduro was going to happen.

We just didn’t know the exact day or time it was going to happen.

As it was postponed a couple days due to cloudy skies means nobody knew exactly when it would happen...until it happened.

[jonascord]

Hot Flash! US nuclear policy, since 1957, has been "Launch On Warning."

That means that if there is a credible nuclear threat, from a avowed enemy, the US would launch first. (No point in nuking empty silos.) And that the US would expend ALL of it's weapons, which would mean complete obliteration.

This policy, that every government is aware of, even if you are not, has maintained world peace for 60 years, and suppressed the chance of another world war.

Traitor Milley, like all treasonous Communists, is blandly sure that he is the smartest guy in any room, and would gladly rule over the ashes of this country. He bragged that he would tell his opposite number in China if an attack is coming, giving them a chance to strike 1st. Right there is why Milley should be standing against a wall, at dawn, with a cigarette and a blindfold.

[Flaming Conservative]

Court martial him!

[Hot Tabasco]

He said he assured her that while the president is the sole nuclear launch authority, "he doesn't launch them alone."

Apparently he does. Because, as we were all told by members of The View, Trump sold the launch codes he had stashed at Mar A Lago to Putin.

[pepsi_junkie]

If someone comes to your spouse and says 'will he buy something expensive' and she says 'well, there's a process, purchases go through me so rest assured.' would you assume this means 'not if I don't want it to happen!' ?

That's what I'd assume. That's what he clearly wanted Pelosi to assume, not 'if he launches there are some steps we need to follow then fires away!'

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

If someone comes to your spouse and says 'will he buy something expensive' and she says 'well, there's a process, purchases go through me so rest assured.' would you assume this means 'not if I don't want it to happen!' ? That's what I'd assume. That's what he clearly wanted Pelosi to assume, not 'if he launches there are some steps we need to follow then fires away!'

If the President woke up one morning and decided "I'm going to nuke the world", with no advance discussion, preparation, notification or provocation of any kind, I would hope that whomever is beneath him wouldn't just give an "aye aye sir", and launch away.

[pepsi_junkie]

So notwithstanding your straw man, you agree agree that Milley was saying he was the one who really decides, chain of command be damned.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

So notwithstanding your straw man, you agree agree that Milley was saying he was the one who really decides, chain of command be damned.

No, I don't agree with that.

I think the scenario is pretty bizarre to begin with -- the President just deciding one day, without any warning, advance discussion, or provocation, to nuke China. But let's assume that happened. If it makes you feel any better, lets say it was senile Joe Biden waking up one day and ordering his CJCS to nuke Russia because he doesn't like what's happening in Ukraine.

In the circumstances where there is no provocation of any kind -- no threatening Chinese or Russian missiles in the air, no imminent crisis, nothing like that where a rapid decision is required, I would hope that the President's subordinates, regardless of who they are, wouldn't simply follow the order to annihilate humanity without a reason.

So, what I'd expect to happen is for the CJCS to ask the President "uh, why are we unleashing Armageddon?" I'd expect him to call the Vice-President and Secretary of Defense and ask "do you know what the President just ordered me to do, and what do you think about it." If they don't have good answers, and are equally horrified, then likely one of them would take the initiative to immediately contact Congress and the rest of the Cabinet to get that nutbag declared incompetent.

To be honest, I think a flat-out nuking of another country without any provocation or any kind would be tantamount to a declaration of war, and one that the President himself does not have the authority to make solely on his own anyway.

Or...do you actually think that Biden's subordinates should just press the buttons because Biden told them too?

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

Hot Flash! US nuclear policy, since 1957, has been "Launch On Warning." That means that if there is a credible nuclear threat, from a avowed enemy, the US would launch first."

Sure. But what if there was a launch order from Joe Biden to nuke Moscow, and there was no warning, no credible nuclear threat of any kind (which is something of which the CJCS would obviously be aware), and he was just...bored, senile, or just in a bad mood?

Should the CJCS just carry out that order without question?

[jonascord]

Does the term "Commander in Chief" ring a faint bell? It is an unfortunate fact that, although Joe was obviously not in command, too many of those around him had too much to lose if they admitted that Joe was a train wreck.

Besides, the real president was Barry. Autopen was just the facade that Barry hid behind and used to run the country.

[pepsi_junkie]

okay, so the generals have veto power of use of nukes (constitution says 25th amendment is a thing and it’s not the generals that get to invoke it, but whatever). Let’s say it’s not nukes then what about, say, capturing Maduro. Should some general have veto power because he thinks the POTUS is a meanie? Essentially the CIC is not really CIC, the bureaucracy is.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

Does the term "Commander in Chief" ring a faint bell? It is an unfortunate fact that, although Joe was obviously not in command, too many of those around him had too much to lose if they admitted that Joe was a train wreck. Besides, the real president was Barry. Autopen was just the facade that Barry hid behind and used to run the country.

Nowhere in that response did you actually answer whether Biden's CJCS should have obeyed, without question, an order from his commander-in-chief to nuke the Russians on a whim, and without asking the basis for the order if there doesn't appear to be any justification.

Nor did you address my point that an order from the president to begin worldwide nuclear war without any apparent threat, provocation, or justification of any kind would even be a legal order in the first place.

[volare737]

The CJCS is NOT in the chain of command. He has no command authority at all. The NCA National Command Authority) is the President and the SecDef (now SecWar), period.

[volare737]

Milley should be in jail for traitorous calla insinuating that there could be a nuclear attack because the NCA might be insane, or considering an insane act like that. China must have been shocked that calls were even made or needed.

Do you think for one second that anyone high ranking officer in Russia or China would ever making an outrageous, and even scary, call like that to the JCS? There is no defense at all for his calls, hence the need for a pardon!

No other member of the JCS has ever needed or gotten a pardon. That speaks volumes.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

Milley should be in jail for traitorous calla insinuating that there could be a nuclear attack because the NCA might be insane, or considering an insane act like that.

Milley didn't call anyone. He received a call from the Speaker, was asked a question, and gave an answer. I didn't see him say the President was insane or was going to launch an attack.:

He said Pelosi "called me to inquire about the president's ability to launch nuclear weapons. I sought to assure her that nuclear launch is governed by a very specific and deliberate process."

He said he assured her that while the president is the sole nuclear launch authority, "he doesn't launch them alone." He said that as chairman he is part of the launch decision process.

"There are processes, protocols, and procedures in place and I repeatedly assured her there is no chance of an illegal, unauthorized, or accidental launch," Milley said.

Now personally, I have no idea if there are indeed "processes, protocols, and procedures in place", and I suspect neither do you. But I didn't see any retired military personnel come out and said what Milley said was wrong.

While I don't have an issue with what he said at the time. i do think that he was an utter dumbass for telling that story later in an interview, though. Should have kept his mouth shut, because it is his big mouth that made this a political issue. That was terrible judgment on his part, probably just to make himself seem more important.