WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th September, 2021) US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley told reporters on Friday that he did not exceed his duties when calling Chinese counterparts during the final months of Donald Trump's presidency.
US media reported on Tuesday that Milley feared Trump might start a war with China at the end of his tenure, prompting him to reach out to Chinese counterparts in October and January to assure Beijing that an attack from the United States was not imminent.
Milley said he his calls were "routine" and "perfectly within the duties and responsibilities," adding that they were made "to reassure both allies and adversaries in this case in order to ensure strategic stability," as quoted by the Associated Press.
The top US military officer declined to dig into details until his testimony before US Congress scheduled later in September.
"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," he said, promising to provide Congress as much information as lawmakers wanted.
The information about Milley's calls appeared in the upcoming book "Peril" by Washington Post's Associate Editor Bob Woodward and reporter Robert Costa. The book is based on more than 200 interviews with officials who spoke on conditions of anonymity.
According to the book, the US intelligence community determined Beijing was nervous the United States was preparing an attack following rising tensions over military exercises in the South China Sea and Trump's hostile attitude toward China.
White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said earlier this week that US President Joe Biden remeained fully confident in Milley. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also assured that he continues to have confidence in�Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman.
