Days after he was sworn into office, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revoked a security detail for retired Gen. Mark Milley, becoming the fourth former Donald Trump appointee-turned-critic to be stripped of protections after the president’s return to the White House.
A Pentagon spokesperson said Hegseth also directed the Department of Defense inspector general to investigate “the facts and circumstances” of Milley’s time in office to determine whether to “reopen his military grade review determination,” which could retroactively demote Milley and throw his retirement benefits into question.
“Undermining the chain of command is corrosive to our national security, and restoring accountability is a priority for the Defense Department under President Trump’s leadership,” Defense Department chief of staff Joe Kasper said in a statement.
Trump’s apparent retribution against the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff follows his comments labeling the president a “fascist to the core” whose return to the White House threatens democracy.
In his retirement ceremony in 2023, Milley also reminded U.S. service members that they have sworn an oath to defend the constitution, not to “a king, or a queen, or to a tyrant or dictator, and we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator.”
Joe Biden pardoned Milley hours before leaving office, fearing that Trump would seek vengeance against his political enemies.
“The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense,” Biden said in a statement at the time. “Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.”
Days before his retirement, Trump suggested that he believes Milley should be executed for what he believes are crimes against the country, including talking to Chinese officials during the presidential transition in 2020.
“No one has ever been as dangerous to this country as Donald Trump,” Milley reportedly told journalist Bob Woodward for his book War.
Trump’s own allies have warned against revoking Milley’s detail and clearances, fearing that stripping those protections could expose them to threats of violence or assassination from Iran and expose their aides from being able to do their jobs.
“I would encourage the president to revisit the decision for those people who are being targeted by Iran, as the president was targeted for assassination by Iran,” Republican Senator Tom Cotton told Fox News on Sunday.
Senator Lindsey Graham told NBC’s Meet the Press that if there is a “legitimate threat against people who served our government from a foreign adversary, I don’t want to pull that protection.”
He suggested senators would receive a briefing on the issue and “engage the White House to see if we can get some relief.”
“Because I fear it will chill out how people will serve in the future,” Graham said.
Milley is the fourth former Trump official stripped of their security details and clearances. Trump also revoked details for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former national security adviser John Bolton and former diplomat Brian Hook.
