Politico | Lloyd Austin defends US General Mark Milley following Donald Trump book revelations
- Top US General Milley has faced criticism for revelations in forthcoming books about the end of Trump’s presidency
- The books reports that Milley sought to prevent the former US president from perpetrating a coup amid the 2020 election
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Quint Forgey on politico.com on July 21, 2021.
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday said he had “tremendous faith and confidence” in General Mark Milley following reports that the Joint Chiefs chair sought to prevent former US president Donald Trump from perpetrating a coup amid the 2020 election.
“I’ve known the chairman for a long time. We’ve fought together. We’ve served a couple of times in the same units,” Austin told reporters at the Pentagon. “I’m not guessing at his character. He doesn’t have a political bone in his body.”
Milley declined to directly comment on the books’ allegations and whether he was troubled by the view that he has used his post for political reasons, but did say he and other top military leaders took an oath to protect the Constitution and have stayed true to that.