“You made each one take an oath not to ‘act’ on the President’s orders without checking with you first,” it continued.
The lawmakers levied several questions at Milley regarding his “contemptuous words” regarding Trump in the book as well as questions on “civilian control of the military.”
“You allegedly told the authors of Peril: You “felt no absolute certainty that the military could control or trust Trump,’” one of the questions read. “Those words do not seem to be compatible with the principle of civilian control of the military. Isn’t the commander-in-chief supposed to exercise control over the military and not vice-versa? Please explain.”
Banks and Grassley both took to their respective chamber floors Thursday regarding the letter, with Banks calling “sidestepping” the commander-in-chief “a grave crime.”
“I am calling on General Milley to set the record straight,” Banks said. “General Milley is accused of secretly seizing the president’s military powers. That is the most serious crime.
“If he is innocent, he has a duty to say so,” the Indiana Republican added.
In his speech, Grassley pointed to President George Washington relinquishing his control of the military to the citizens following the Revolutionary War as well as President Harry Truman firing General Douglas MacArthur for defying orders amid the Korean War.