Total confidence in his patriotism and fidelity to our constitution
En los días más turbulentos del traspaso de poder en Estados Unidos, el general Mark Milley, máximo jefe militar del país, tomó medidas secretas para evitar lo que temía podría convertirse en una catástrofe: contactó a su contraparte china y restringió internamente el acceso a órdenes nucleares, convencido de que el presidente saliente representaba un riesgo. Ahora, con el presidente Biden respaldándolo públicamente y los republicanos exigiendo su destitución, el episodio plantea una pregunta que las democracias rara vez se atreven a formular en voz alta: ¿qué debe hacer un militar cuando cree que el poder civil que jurò obedecer es el peligro mismo?
- El general Milley llamó en secreto al jefe militar chino dos veces para asegurar que la retórica de Trump no derivaría en acción militar, en un momento en que el Capitolio ardía bajo el asedio de una turba.
- Milley también instruyó a su equipo para que ninguna orden de uso de armas nucleares se ejecutara sin su conocimiento previo, una medida sin precedentes que desafía la cadena de mando convencional.
- Los republicanos, encabezados por el senador Marco Rubio, exigen su destitución inmediata, acusándolo de traición al comandante en jefe y de filtrar información clasificada a China.
- La Casa Blanca respondió con un respaldo rotundo: Biden confía plenamente en el liderazgo, el patriotismo y la fidelidad constitucional de Milley, aunque sin confirmar los detalles de las llamadas.
- Washington queda dividido entre quienes ven en Milley a un guardián de la estabilidad y quienes lo acusan de haber usurpado la autoridad civil en uno de los momentos más frágiles de la democracia estadounidense.
En los días que siguieron al asalto al Capitolio del 6 de enero de 2021, el general Mark Milley, presidente del Estado Mayor Conjunto, tomó decisiones que permanecieron ocultas hasta que el libro "Peril", de Bob Woodward y Robert Costa, las sacó a la luz. Profundamente preocupado por el estado mental de Trump en las semanas finales de su mandato, Milley contactó en dos ocasiones al general chino Li Zuocheng: la primera, el 30 de octubre, antes de las elecciones; la segunda, el 8 de enero, dos días después del ataque al Capitolio. En ambas conversaciones buscó transmitir a Pekín que la retórica incendiaria del presidente saliente no se traduciría en agresión militar real.
Además, Milley instruyó a su personal para que ninguna orden de activación nuclear fuera ejecutada sin notificárselo primero, una medida extraordinaria para el oficial de mayor rango de las fuerzas armadas, cuyo deber es precisamente obedecer al comandante en jefe.
Cuando la controversia estalló públicamente, la portavoz de la Casa Blanca, Jen Psaki, expresó el respaldo total de Biden a Milley, enmarcando los hechos en el contexto del caos generado por Trump, quien "alentó disturbios que derivaron en una insurrección". El portavoz de Milley, por su parte, defendió las llamadas como parte del diálogo militar rutinario destinado a preservar la estabilidad estratégica.
Los republicanos no tardaron en reaccionar. El senador Marco Rubio exigió en una carta a Biden el despido inmediato del general, acusándolo de socavar activamente al comandante en jefe y de contemplar la filtración de información clasificada a China. El episodio dejó expuesta una tensión profunda en la arquitectura del poder democrático: la pregunta de qué ocurre cuando el más alto oficial militar concluye que el peligro proviene del propio poder civil que juró servir.
In the days after supporters of Donald Trump breached the Capitol on January 6, 2021, the nation's top military officer faced a choice that would define his tenure and ignite a constitutional firestorm. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was deeply worried. According to a forthcoming book by journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa titled "Peril," Milley had grown so alarmed by what he perceived as Trump's mental state in the final weeks of the presidency that he took extraordinary steps—steps he kept secret from public view.
The specifics emerged on Wednesday when the White House was forced to address the revelations. Milley had placed two calls to his Chinese counterpart, General Li Zuocheng. The first came on October 30, days before the election. The second followed on November 8, just two days after the Capitol riot. In both conversations, according to excerpts published by The Washington Post and CNN, Milley sought to reassure Beijing that Trump's inflammatory rhetoric would not translate into actual military aggression. He was, in essence, trying to prevent a war he feared the outgoing president might start.
Moreover, Milley had instructed his staff not to act immediately on any order from Trump to deploy nuclear weapons without first alerting him. These were extraordinary measures taken by the military's highest-ranking officer—a man sworn to follow the commander-in-chief's orders, now working to constrain what he believed those orders might become.
When asked about the controversy, White House press secretary Jen Psaki offered an unequivocal statement of support. "The president has total confidence in his leadership, his patriotism, and his fidelity to our constitution," she said, referring to Milley. She did not confirm the details of the calls but contextualized them within the chaos of early January, when Trump had "encouraged disturbances that led to an insurrection and an attack on the capital of our nation on the 6th—one of the darkest days in our history."
Republicans moved swiftly to attack. Senator Marco Rubio, a Trump ally, called for Milley's immediate dismissal. In a letter to Biden, Rubio accused the general of actively working to undermine the sitting commander-in-chief and suggested he had contemplated leaking classified information to the Chinese Communist Party. "These actions by General Milley demonstrate a clear lack of judgment, and I urge you to fire him immediately," Rubio wrote.
Milley's spokesman, Colonel Dave Butler, defended the calls as routine. The general's communications with China and others in October and January, Butler said, were consistent with his duties and responsibilities. They were meant to transmit reassurance and maintain strategic stability—the ordinary work of military-to-military dialogue, nothing more.
The episode laid bare a fundamental tension in American governance: what happens when the military's highest officer believes the civilian commander-in-chief poses a danger? Milley had not staged a coup, had not refused orders outright. Instead, he had worked within the system as he understood it—talking to allies, preparing contingencies, trying to prevent catastrophe. Whether that constituted appropriate stewardship of constitutional authority or an alarming overreach remained the question dividing Washington.
Citações Notáveis
The president has total confidence in his leadership, his patriotism, and his fidelity to our constitution— White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
These actions by General Milley demonstrate a clear lack of judgment, and I urge you to fire him immediately— Senator Marco Rubio
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would a military officer feel he needed to call China at all? Isn't that the president's job?
In theory, yes. But Milley wasn't negotiating treaties or making policy. He was trying to prevent miscalculation—to make sure Beijing didn't misread Trump's rhetoric as an actual threat. It's a delicate thing military leaders do constantly.
So he was protecting Trump from himself, in a way?
That's one reading. Another is that he was protecting the country from its own president. The distinction matters enormously, and it's why Republicans were so angry.
Did he actually leak anything classified to China?
The reporting doesn't suggest that. Rubio accused him of contemplating it, but there's no evidence he did. The calls themselves were about reassurance, not intelligence sharing.
What made Milley so sure Trump would start a war?
The book doesn't spell it out completely, but Milley was watching the same thing everyone else was—a president who'd lost an election, was refusing to accept it, and whose supporters had just stormed the Capitol. Milley apparently thought the situation was unstable enough that he needed to take precautions.
And Biden just... kept him in the job?
Yes. Biden's team said they had full confidence in him. It was a clear signal that the new administration wasn't going to sacrifice Milley to appease the opposition.