[Columbia, MO] – In light of multiple recent reports, Taylor Burks calls for the resignation of General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Furthermore, President Biden cannot allow our military to act independently of the duly elected Commander-in-Chief—he should immediately convene a Board of Inquiry into General Milley’s alleged misconduct.
Additionally, Congress has an obligation to exercise its oversight authority in this matter. For this entire administration, Pentagon leadership has avoided accountability for failures and now treasonable actions at the highest levels of the military. From the founding of our republic, we have held the belief that the military should not be political, but that it should enjoy the confidence of civilian leaders in government. The recent disaster with the Fall of Kabul, and new allegations about General Milley’s conduct during the presidential transition undermine our ability to trust leadership inside the Pentagon.
The botched Afghanistan withdrawal endangered American allies, left our own citizens stranded in Taliban territory, and resulted in the deaths of 13 US servicemembers. Responsibility for the decision to withdraw lies with President Biden, but the poor execution of the withdrawal lies with military leadership under General Milley.
The recent allegations detailed in Bob Woodward’s upcoming new book suggest that General Milley took US Foreign Policy-making into his own hands. If true, General Milley intentionally circumvented President Trump to create backchannel communications with the Chinese government and undermine American operations. The motivations are irrelevant- if these allegations are true, then General Milley committed treason.
“The military cannot be political. The military should be effective and trustworthy. While we wait for the White House to slowly respond, we need leaders in Congress who can exercise its oversight authority over a rogue Pentagon leader,” said Burks. “Civilian oversight of the military is critical to a free Republic. Nothing like General Milley’s actions can be remotely tolerated.
Taylor Burks served nearly eight years of active duty in the US Navy and continues to serve as in the US Navy Reserves as a lieutenant commander. He is the only candidate for Congress in the entire country who deployed in 2020 as part of the Trump drawdowns in Iraq or Afghanistan.
For press inquiries, please contact:
Christian Hulen
[email protected]
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