'Perfectly Within Duties': Gen. Milley Defends Secret Talks With China on Possibility of US Attack

US Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley has found himself in the middle of a firestorm sparked by claims in Bob Woodward’s new book "Peril" alleging that he had twice reached out to his Chinese counterpart to assure him that former President Donald Trump would not initiate a military conflict against Beijing.

General Mark Milley told the Associated Press on Friday that his clandestine talks with China, described in excerpts from "Peril" by Bob Woodward, fall "perfectly within the duties and responsibilities" of his position.

In his first public comments about the allegations made in the book, Milley expressed readiness to provide all necessary details on his encounters with his Chinese counterparts before Congress.

"I think it’s best that I reserve my comments on the record until I do that in front of the lawmakers who have the lawful responsibility to oversee the US military", the general told the AP. "I’ll go into any level of detail Congress wants to go into in a couple of weeks".

According to some excerpts from "Peril" cited by the media, Milley contacted his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Li Zuocheng, twice, assuring him that then-President Donald Trump was "stable" and not going to launch an attack against China.

Commenting on Milley's contacts with China, Trump said that the claims, if true, would amount to "treason".

The general was said to have had a heated telephone conversation with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi two days after the 6 January Capitol riot. In the call, Pelosi pressed Milley over whether he had any leverage to prevent Trump from initiating military conflicts, and he, in his turn, assured her "that will not happen".

In light of the allegations made by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa in their book, Milley along with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin are set to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on 28 September.

On Wednesday, the White House stated that US President Joe Biden has "great confidence" in Milley - a sentiment that Trump, his outspoken critic, could hardly agree with.