Lawmakers Say Mark Milley Needs to Answer Report He Broke Trump’s Chain of Command

General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, on April 7, 2022. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Congressional lawmakers have asked Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley to respond to claims that he cut off the chain of command while serving under the Trump administration in early 2021.

The Republican lawmakers’ letter was issued in response to allegations in last year’s book, “Peril,” that he made phone calls to a top Chinese Communist Party counterpart twice in early 2021 to tell him that the United States had no plans to attack China. Republicans, including Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), have suggested that his calls usurped the statutory chain of command.