Sens. John Cornyn and Rand Paul on Wednesday called for Gen. Mark Milley to answer questions on Capitol Hill and face possible consequences over a \u2026<\/b>
\nSens. John Cornyn and Rand Paul on Wednesday called for Gen. Mark Milley to answer questions on Capitol Hill and face possible consequences over a report he secretly communicated with China\u2019s top general. Sen. Cornyn, a Texas Republican on the Select Committee on Intelligence, told The Washington Times that Gen. Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, \u201cneeds to explain himself before Congress.\u201d Mr. Cornyn said he wanted to hear from Gen. Milley directly \u201cbefore rendering any judgment\u201d on whether the general should resign. According to \u201cPeril,\u201d a new book by Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, Gen. Milley undermined then-President Donald Trump \u2018s powers after the Jan.6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, including unilaterally and secretly restricting Mr. Trump from ordering a military strike or launching nuclear weapons. The general also contacted a Chinese military commander to reassure him that Mr. Trump would not launch an attack on China. Sen. Paul, Kentucky Republican, also demanded the general testify. \u201cIt should be investigated immediately, today, he should be questioned under oath, if not with a polygraph test, on whether it happened. If it happened, he should be immediately relieved of his duties and court-martialed,\u201d Mr. Paul, a member of the Foreign Relations and Homeland Security committees, said on Fox News\u2019s Fox and Friends. \u201cYou have to find out if it\u2019s true. This is innuendo and rumor and propaganda perhaps. But, if it is true he absolutely immediately needs to be removed.\u201d The report also raised eyebrows among Democrats, though they were quick to give Gen. Milley the benefit of the doubt in his dealings with Mr. Trump. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat who serves on the Armed Services Committee, said she had \u201creal concerns\u201d about Gen. Milley\u2019s conduct but doubted he crossed the line. \u201cI\u2019m a strong proponent for civilian control of the military. That\u2019s what our entire system of government is based on. I don\u2019t think at any point from the reports that I\u2019ve read, he actually ordered subordinates to betray the president\u2019s orders,\u201d Ms. Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, said in an interview. \u201cI think what he said was to make sure that, \u2018I\u2019m in the loop. And then carry out your duties.\u2019 I think that\u2019s appropriate, but I have some real concerns.\u201d Others were less forgiving, including at least one of Mr. Trump \u2019s harshest critics. Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a key witness who testified against Mr. Trump during his first impeachment, called for Gen. Milley to resign if the reporting about him was true. \u201cIf this is true GEN Milley must resign. He usurped civilian authority, broke Chain of Command, and violated the sacrosanct principle of civilian control over the military. It\u2019s an extremely dangerous precedent. You can\u2019t simply walk away from that,\u201d Mr. Vindman tweeted Tuesday. Messrs. Woodward and Costa also wrote that Gen. Milley, who was Mr. Turmp\u2019s top military adviser, claimed Mr. Trump\u2019s behavior was erratic and the events of Jan.6 amplified concerns about his state of mind.<\/p>\n