Senior White House officials are reportedly considering issuing retired Gen. Mark Milley a pre-emptive pardon over fears that President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration will go after the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The potential pardon for Milley, who was the nation’s highest-ranking military officer for part of Trump’s first term, was reported by the Washington Post Thursday.
Milley, 66, faced intense scrutiny on Capitol Hill during President Biden’s first year in office after journalist Bob Woodward revealed that the Pentagon official placed secret phone calls to a top Chinese official before the 2020 election and after the Jan. 6. 2021, riot at the US Capitol.
During a September 2021 congressional grilling, Milley admitted to calling Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army to tell him that he would personally warn China in the event of a US attack during Trump’s waning days in office.
Milley claimed he placed the phone call because US intelligence showed China was worried about an impending strike and he wanted to allay the US adversary’s fears.
In response to the phone calls, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. – Trump’s pick to lead the State Department – urged Biden to fire Milley, arguing that he worked to “actively undermine the sitting Commander in Chief.”
Trump later wrote on Truth Social that Milley’s backchannel communications amounted to a “treasonous act … so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!”
The president-elect has also said that Milley never informed him about his calls to China.
Milley has been adamant that there was nothing inappropriate or treasonous about the phone calls.
The retired Army general is a part of a growing list of current and former government officials that Biden, 82, may issue pardons to before he leaves office next month.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Dr. Anthony Fauci are among the people White House counsel Ed Siskel and chief of staff Jeff Zients have discussed as possibly needing pardons from Biden to stave off potential inquiries and indictments.
Politico first reported on the internal White House deliberations over pre-emptive pardons on Wednesday.
It’s unclear if Biden has been looped in on the discussions or if he’s taken a position on the issue.
The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.