Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, opened up about a conversation he had with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) over President Donald Trumpās mental health.
During a testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Milley explained Pelosi called him to inquire about the former presidentās ability to launch nuclear weapons.
He said, āI sought to assure her that nuclear launch is governed by a very specific and deliberate process. She was concerned and made various personal references characterizing the president.ā
Milley explained, āI explained to her that the president is the sole nuclear launch authority and he doesnāt launch them alone and that I am not qualified to determine the mental health of the President of the United States.ā
He continued, āThere are processes, protocols, and procedures in place and I repeatedly assured her there is no chance of an illegal, unauthorized, or accidental launch.ā
Watch part of Milleyās testimony below:
According to āPeril,ā a new book by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, Milley took secret action to prevent Trump from ordering a military strike or launching nuclear weapons just two days after the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, as CNN reports.
The authors wrote Milley āwas certain that Trump had gone into a serious mental decline in the aftermath of the election, with Trump now all but manic, screaming at officials and constructing his own alternate reality about endless election conspiracies.ā
According to Woodward and Costa, Milley was concerned Trump could āgo rogue.ā Milley reportedly told his senior staff, āYou never know what a presidentās trigger point is.ā
Additionally, according to the book, Pelosi agreed with Milleyās assessment of Trumpās alleged mental decline.
āHeās crazy. You know heās crazy,ā Pelosi reportedly said, adding, ās there anybody in charge at the White House who was doing anything but kissing his fat butt all over this?ā