Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) suggested Sunday that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley should be “hung” for his response to the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the Capitol.
In a newsletter Sunday, Gosar offered his thoughts on the testimony from former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund to the House Administration Committee last week. Gosar said that Sund, who was the chief at the time of the attacks, had requested national guard assistance but claimed it was “delayed” by Milley.
“But even after approval was given, General Milley, the homosexual-promoting-BLM-activist Chairman of the military joint chiefs, delayed,” Gosar wrote. “Of course, we now know that the deviant Milley was coordinating with Nancy Pelosi to hurt President Trump, and treasonously working behind Trump’s back.”
“In a better society, quislings like the strange sodomy-promoting General Milley would be hung,” he added, also calling Milley a “traitor.”
Gosar’s comments follow former President Trump’s post on Milley from last week, in which he accused the top general of going behind his back to talk to Chinese counterparts — an apparent reference to calls Milley made to reassure China near the end of Trump’s term.
“This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH! A war between China and the United States could have been the result of this treasonous act,” Trump wrote.
Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling told CNN that the violent rhetoric from Gosar and Trump toward Milley is “disgusting.”
“This proposed violence by any political figure is disgusting, shows how deeply disturbed both of these individuals are,” Hertling said.
“[Gosar’s] delivered statement to the press was sexist, racist, vile — it just shows the extent to which these kinds of things have become commonplace and not condemned in our divided country,” he added.
This is not the first time Gosar has publicly suggested violence against U.S. officials. In 2021, the House voted to censure the Arizona Republican for posting an anime video depicting him violently attacking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and President Biden.
The Hill has reached out to the Joint Chiefs for comment.