(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) There’s a new boss in the Pentagon.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is planning to “immediately” pull the taxpayer-funded perks of Mark Milley, the disgraced former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Fox News reported Monday.
Hegseth, confirmed by the Senate to lead the military agency on Friday, ordered the Pentagon to revoke Milley’s security clearance, taxpayer-funded private chauffeur and armed bodyguards.
These disciplinary actions appear to be in response to what Republicans have described as “treasonous” phone calls with China during the last days of President Donald Trump’s first term.
The long-awaited Trump-led changes come less than two weeks after former President Joe Biden issued a blanket pardon for potentially criminal acts committed by Milley since Jan. 1, 2014.
It is not immediately clear why Milley received the pardon if he is confident that he did not violate any laws during his last years in service.
According to Fox, the Pentagon will order the acting inspector general to determine whether enough evidence exists to strip the retired general of a retirement-tied star.
The Pentagon will also remove a portrait of Milley from the Arlington headquarters. This removal means the federal agency will no longer display any images honoring Milley’s controversial service to the country.
New coat of paint for the wall where retired general Mark Milley’s portrait hung at the Pentagon before it was removed on the day that Trump took office pic.twitter.com/dwVC0YtW8I
— W.G. Dunlop (@wgdunlop) January 21, 2025
A previous portrait was removed within hours of Trump taking office on Jan. 20. This portrait honored his tenure as the military’s top officer, while the second photo was related to his tenure as chief-of-staff of the Army.
Central to the controversy are reports that Milley, in the last days of the Trump administration, secretly contacted his Chinese counterpart at least twice to assure him that the U.S. had no plans to attack China.
These actions were widely seen by Republicans as part of a plot to undermine Trump, then the duly elected president and commander-in-chief. Trump, himself, described these calls as an act of “treason” and demanded Milley be held accountable.
In contrast, Biden stood by Milley and even pardoned him for any criminal behavior, including his intent behind those two calls to China.
Before retiring, Milley had been granted taxpayer-funded protection following alleged threats from Iran. But these perks have ended, the Trump administration suggested.
“There is a new era of accountability in the Defense Department under President Trump’s leadership—and that’s exactly what the American people expect,” a senior administration official told Fox.
Milley served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—the body that advises the president on military matters—from October 2019 until his retirement in 2023.
He had previously held the position of chief of staff of the Army from August 2015 to August 2019, the highest-ranking officer in the Department of the Army.
General Mark Milley Pardoned by Biden. Here is his own testimony, admitting to treason by back channeling with China. pic.twitter.com/mzZyXJsz4f
— Brian Kennedy (@Brian_Kennedy) January 20, 2025
