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 Trump’s mental health.
During a testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Milley explained Pelosi called him to inquire about the former president’s ability to launch nuclear weapons.
He said, “I 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.”
Milley explained, “I explained to her that the president is the sole nuclear launch authority and he doesn’t launch them alone and that I am not qualified to determine the mental health of the President of the United States.”
He continued, “There are processes, protocols, and procedures in place and I repeatedly assured her there is no chance of an illegal, unauthorized, or accidental launch.”
Watch part of Milley’s testimony below:
“I explained to [Pelosi] … I am not qualified to determine the mental health of the President of the United States.”
— The Recount (@therecount) September 28, 2021
— Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley about January phone call when Pelosi inquired about Trump facilitating an accidental nuclear launch. pic.twitter.com/7z0vOg1WO6
According to “Peril,” 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 “was 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.”
According to Woodward and Costa, Milley was concerned Trump could “go rogue.” Milley reportedly told his senior staff, “You never know what a president’s trigger point is.”
Additionally, according to the book, Pelosi agreed with Milley’s assessment of Trump’s alleged mental decline.
“He’s crazy. You know he’s crazy,” Pelosi reportedly said, adding, “[I]s there anybody in charge at the White House who was doing anything but kissing his fat butt all over this?”