Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the whistleblower who reported calls  with Ukraine that led to the impeachment of former President Donald Trump, called for Milley’s ouster over the top general’s phone calls.

“He usurped civilian authority, broke Chain of Command, and violated the sacrosanct principle of civilian control over the military. It’s an extremely dangerous precedent. You can’t simply walk away from that,” Vindman wrote in a tweet.

Vindman testified against Trump in a House impeachment inquiry into the president’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Milley, the top-ranking officer in the military, made two phone calls with his Chinese counterpart in 2020 to assure them that the U.S. would not launch a nuclear strike, according to a new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa of The Washington Post.

Republicans, including Trump himself, and conservative media allies have condemned Milley’s actions as “treasonous” and called for Milley’s sacking. Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, have expressed concern that any president is able to unilaterally launch a nuclear weapon without congressional input.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden said he still has “great confidence” in Milley. White House press secretary Jen Psaki also offered the administration’s endorsement of the top general, continuing that Milley “went through the normal channels of communication” and did not subvert the chain of command.

“The outgoing president of the United States, during this period of time, fomented unrest leading to an insurrection leading to an attack on the nation’s Capitol,” Psaki added, calling the situation “key context” for Milley’s actions.

Vindman, a former National Security Council staffer in the Trump White House, told USA TODAY in August that he believes his duties required him to report on the former president’s actions, regardless of his personal politics or the impact on his career.

After investigations surfaced that the Trump administration was withholding approved defense funding from Ukraine, Vindman’s complaint resurfaced as key evidence in Trump’s eventual first impeachment.

In July 2020, Vindman resigned from the Army, citing “bullying” from Trump and other senior aides that pushed him out of his national security role.

Follow Matthew Brown online @mrbrownsir.

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/09/16/alexander-vindman-calls-gen-milley-resign-over-china-calls/8360646002/

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Officials confirmed that Trump and national security adviser Robert O’Brien have cut 70 positions inherited from former President Barack Obama, who had fattened the staff to 200.

Many were loaners from other agencies and have been sent back. Others left government work.

The NSC, which is the president’s personal staff, was rocked when a “whistleblower” leveled charges that led to Trump’s impeachment.

Last week, one key official who testified against Trump at a House hearing on the Ukraine affair that led to impeachment was sent packing. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was returned to the Pentagon. His twin brother, Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, was also given the boot. Trump had expressed displeasure that Alexander Vindman had testified against him when the Ukraine specialist said he did not like the phone conversation between the president and a newly elected president of Ukraine.

Since entering the White House, Trump has relied on staff smaller than previous administrations and has noted how prior presidents had a much smaller NSC team.

O’Brien recently said that former President George W. Bush handled the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with 100 NSC aides, a model he is instituting.

“This month, we will complete the right-sizing goal Ambassador O’Brien outlined in October, and in fact, may exceed that target by drawing down even more positions,” John Ullyot, the NSC’s senior director for strategic communications, told Secrets.

Source: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/bigger-than-vindman-trump-scrubs-70-obama-holdovers-from-nsc

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