It’s Friday, September 17th, and this is your Morning Wire. Listen to the full podcast here.
1) Former Military Officials Discuss General Milley Allegations
The Topline: Morning Wire spoke to former military officials about the allegations of potential “treasonous” behavior against General Mark Milley, who reportedly subverted the chain of command by making calls to Chinese military leaders without President Trump’s approval.
Quote Of The Day:
“If Eisenhower were the president and what you say is true, Milley would be summoned to the White House and he would be removed from his position. Then there would be a decision by legal authorities and advisors to the president regarding whether Milley should be placed under house arrest pending court-martial. That’s how serious these infractions would be, if they turn out to be accurate.”
– Retired U.S. Army Colonel Doug Macgregor
Alex Wong/Staff/Getty Images
The Allegation
A bold allegation from Bob Woodward and Robert Costa’s new book, “Peril,” accuses sitting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Milley of actively undermining President Trump during the last months of his administration.
According to the bombshell new book, Milley made phone calls to foreign military counterparts in China, promising to warn them in the event that President Donald Trump planned an attack.
If true, his actions would represent a radical subversion of the civilian chain of command.
Secretary Chris Miller
Morning Wire spoke with Secretary Chris Miller, who was acting Secretary of Defense from November 2020 to January 2021. He worked closely with Milley during the last three months of Donald Trump’s presidency — during the time of these allegations. Milley said his working relationship with Milley was positive and professional and described Trump and Milley’s relationship as “businesslike.”
Miller said he’d be surprised if the allegations were true, adding that calling foreign counterparts is not unusual, but if the accusations of working to undermine the president are true, he said that is extremely serious.
Miller also pushed back on claims that President Trump needed any safeguards when it came to national security, saying he got a bad wrap because he refused to use politically correct speech.
Routine Call Vs. Violation
Kash Patel served as chief of staff for Miller while he was acting Secretary of Defense. Patel also stressed the difference between a “routine call” and the violation of chain of command.
Retired U.S. Army Colonel Doug Macgregor, who has served as senior adviser to the Secretary of Defense, said he is not confident President Biden will release the transcripts of the call between Milley and his Chinese counterpart. He said he expects nothing to change and Milley to be kept in his position.
Anna Moneymaker/Staff/Getty Images
2) The Situation Facing Afghan Refugees
The Topline: Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, the Biden administration has flown thousands of Afghans to the U.S. Now, the federal government is struggling to resettle them.
“Essentially it’s secrecy masking pandemonium.”
– Daily Wire Investigative Reporter Luke Rosiak
Afghan Refugees In U.S.
According to Daily Wire investigative reporter Luke Rosiak, some Afghan migrants have been taken to the Dulles Expo Center, as well as hotels around the airport. Others are being housed on military bases throughout Virginia and other states.
Top local officials reportedly don’t know how many Afghans there are in the country, or what’s happening to them.
Temporary Facility
The Daily Wire discovered how a Dick’s Sporting Goods in Virginia that went out of business was being used as a temporary facility. A large black fence was put up, and Afghans were living inside earlier this week.
On Tuesday afternoon, a Department of Defense subcontractor who was sitting on a folding chair out front told The Daily Wire she was the closest thing to an official on site, and the migrants had been moved somewhere else.
Local Community
Despite some refugee facilities being run by the Department of Defense, a lot of the work has fallen to civilians. Fairfax County, for example, has spent $300,000 transporting the migrants.
The Virginia Department of Health also put out an alert saying Virginians who traveled to certain hotels, hospitals, or the airport, could have been exposed to measles, after five migrants were diagnosed.
Steph Chambers/Staff/Getty Images
3) New Washington Law Hampers Police Making Drug Arrests
The Topline: A new law is making it difficult for police in Washington state to arrest people for drug possession as drug overdose deaths spike in the state.
The Law
A new Washington policy went into effect in May which prohibits police from arresting someone for drug possession until the third time they’re caught.
The first two times, they have to give the person a warning and contact information for rehab, unless there is a large quantity of drugs suggesting a connection to drug trafficking.
The Problem: It’s essentially impossible for police to know for sure how many warnings a person has been given because there’s no statewide database for drug warnings.
On the local level, police have created their own local databases to try to comply with this law, but outside of their immediate areas they still have no idea who’s been warned and who hasn’t.
The Fallout
In February, the state’s supreme court ruled the old law, which classified drug possession as a felony, was unconstitutional.
State lawmakers who supported the new law hoped it would steer drug users into treatment rather than the criminal justice system, but police chiefs in Washington state told The Daily Wire the reality on the ground is much different.
Cops are forced to let people with drugs go in most cases, so the substance abuse cycle continues.
Drug Data
Data show drug use is up, public drug use is rampant, and fatal drug overdoses are up, especially in places like Seattle.
There were 418 overdose deaths in the first 3 months of 2021 compared to 378 in the same time period the year before.
Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich told The Daily Wire police are now aware of children as young as sixth-graders using marijuana at school. Violent crime and property crime are also up in Washington, as drug users try to generate revenue to fund their addictions.
Police Point: In May, the Seattle police chief said 260 officers — about 20% of the force — have left in the last year and a half.
Brandon Bell/Staff/Getty Images
Other Stories We’re Tracking
Abbott
On Thursday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) moved to shut down six ports of entry from Mexico to stop a surge in illegal border crossings. In a statement, Abbot said, “The sheer negligence of the Biden Administration to do their job and secure the border is appalling.” Abbott later said the Biden administration “has now flip-flopped to a different strategy that abandons border security and instead makes it easier for people to cross illegally and for cartels to exploit the border … I have directed the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard to maintain their presence at and around ports of entry to deter crossings.”
France
On Thursday, France announced it had killed an Islamic State leader who headed up a 2017 operation that killed 4 U. S. Service members in Africa. If confirmed, the success would be an achievement for France in its efforts to fight against terrorism in the region.
A previous version of this article stated that, as alleged in the new book “Peril,” Milley was concerned about the launch of a nuclear attack. It should have stated that he was concerned about the launch of an attack, not a nuclear attack.