One of the Senate's most outspoken Republicans found himself being put firmly in place after suggesting the nation's top military officer was being dishonest about his advisory role in the the bungled withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and should have resigned.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Mark Milley was forced to school Republican Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, a former Army officer himself who has repeatedly misrepresented his own service record, on how the military works, and it's left critics of the Senator cheering.
See the moment below.
Cotton's question came during yesterday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing about the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, during which General Milley revealed he had advised Democratic President Joe Biden and his administration against the pull-out of troops from Afghanistan and urged them to extend the deadline for withdrawal.
Cotton then asked Milley why he didn't resign after Biden refused to listen to his advice, and worded his question in a way that subtly accused Milley of lying.
"If all this is true, General Milley, why haven't you resigned?"
Milley then calmly schooled the former Army officer on how the military actually works.
"...[R]esigning is a really serious thing. It's a political act if I'm resigning in protest."
"My job is to provide... the best military advice to the President. That's my legal requirement. That's what the law is."
"The President doesn't have to agree with that advice. He doesn't have to make those decisions just because we're generals."
Milley then clarified his resignation would be a deeply inappropriate act that would politicize a military leadership position meant to be apolitical.
"It would be an incredible act of political defiance for a commissioned officer to just resign because my advice isn't taken. This country doesn't want generals figuring out what orders we're going to accept and do or not."
"...It would be an incredible act of political defiance for a commissioned officer to just resign..."
Gen Milley stuff Tom Cotton in a locker today, after Cotton asks him why he didn\u2019t resign over Afghanistan. This is one of the best answers I\u2019ve ever heard a military officer give before Congress.pic.twitter.com/NAqbloa29w— Ron Filipkowski (@Ron Filipkowski) 1632841749
General Milley made Tom Cotton look like the fool he is #DemsBuildBackBetterpic.twitter.com/Z2UvXHUq7S— Scott Dworkin (@Scott Dworkin) 1632859738
Tom Cotton just got schooled by Gen.Milley.— Ken G\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\u270c\ufe0f\ud83d\ude0e\ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f (@Ken G\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\u270c\ufe0f\ud83d\ude0e\ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f) 1632841238
Did you see the ghost of Benedict Arnold sitting next to Josh Hawley and Tom Cotton today? I did.— Dr. Jack Brown (@Dr. Jack Brown) 1632872374
Tom Cotton asks General Milley why hasn\u2019t he resigned:\n\nMilley proceeds to stuff Cotton in a locker after telling him to drop and give him 50pic.twitter.com/Japuuppdjn— Wu-Tang Is For The Children (@Wu-Tang Is For The Children) 1632841935
I see Tom Cotton has gotten to disgracing himself.— Tom Nichols (@Tom Nichols) 1632841142
I would say that wasn't just a jab at Tom Cotton, but I don't want to assume.https://twitter.com/funder/status/1442944442638295043\u00a0\u2026— Jax Persists (@Jax Persists) 1632860943
Tom Cotton is so concerned about the Afghan evacuation, but has shown little concern about a attempted coup of the democratically elected government of the United States.— Paul Cogan (@Paul Cogan) 1632841084
Fake Ranger Tom Cotton wouldn\u2019t know anything about thathttps://twitter.com/cspan/status/1442870238027161605\u00a0\u2026— Angry Staffer (@Angry Staffer) 1632881198
Gen. Milley slams the toilet lid onTom Cotton.https://bipartisanreport.com/2021/09/28/gen-milley-shuts-down-tom-cotton-at-tuesday-senate-hearing/\u00a0\u2026— Tea Pain (@Tea Pain) 1632867786
Cotton has repeatedly lied about his own military service, claiming to have been a member of the Army Rangers, the branch's elite special forces.
Though Cotton attended the U.S. Army's Ranger School, he never served with the elite force and has been criticized by military members of both parties for his false claims.
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@BillAckman/Twitter