Former US President Donald Trump took to his social media platform to criticize General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for a phone call made in the aftermath of the January 6 Capitol insurrection. Trump went as far as suggesting that the top US military official should face execution.

General Milley, in his testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee in September 2021, had stated that the purpose of the phone call was to reassure China that then-President Trump had no intentions of launching an attack on the country. He emphasized that Trump’s directive was to convey orders and intent accurately and that the primary goal was to de-escalate tensions.

Milley’s remarks were corroborated by reports in The Atlantic, which indicated that the phone call had been explicitly authorized by officials in the Trump administration.

In response to these revelations, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, stating, “This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH! A war between China and the United States could have been the result of this treasonous act. To be continued!!!”

The controversy surrounding the phone call underscores the ongoing divisions and disputes in American politics, particularly related to the events surrounding the Capitol insurrection and its aftermath.