No, outgoing Joint Chiefs chairman Mark Milley was not arrested for treason | Fact check

Chris Mueller, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The claim: Gen. Mark Milley arrested for treason

A Sept. 25 article by Real Raw News claims Army Gen. Mark Milley, the retiring chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was arrested by the military.

"United States Marines on Monday arrested Biden loyalist General Mark Milley on treason charges two days after President Donald J. Trump said on social media that the wicked general was 'worthy of an execution' for betraying the uniform and the nation," reads the article's first paragraph.

The article was shared on Facebook more than 200 times in three days, according to CrowdTangle, a social media analytics tool.

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Our rating: False

There are no credible reports that Milley was arrested for treason. He is still listed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff but will retire at the end of September. The claim comes from a website that routinely publishes false claims about the arrest of high-profile government figures.

Website has long history of fabricated stories

There is no evidence that U.S. Marines arrested Milley for treason on Sept. 25. Milley's alleged arrest is not mentioned in any credible news reports or on the websites of the Marine Corps, the Joint Chiefs or the Justice Department.

As of Sept. 28, Milley was still listed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs. A readout of a Sept. 26 phone call Milley made to a Ukrainian general was released that same day – a day after his supposed arrest – on the Joint Chiefs' website.

Milley became the Joint Chiefs chairman in 2019 under former President Donald Trump. His four-year term is ending, and the Senate has already confirmed his replacement, Air Force Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown.

The article was published days after Trump lashed out at Milley in a Sept. 22 Truth Social post, accusing him of a "treasonous act" while referencing calls Milley made to his counterpart in China late in Trump's time as president.

"This is an act so egregious," Trump wrote, "that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!"

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Milley responded to Trump's comment during a "60 Minutes" interview by defending those calls and saying he has taken "adequate safety precautions" to ensure he and his family are safe, as USA TODAY previously reported.

A disclaimer on the “About Us” page for Real Raw News says it “contains humor, parody, and satire.” That notice, though, is not included in the website’s articles.

USA TODAY has previously debunked dozens of other false claims by Real Raw News, many of which claim high-profile figures were arrested for treason. They include Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn.

Real Raw News replied to a request for comment from USA TODAY by saying, "Lighten up," but providing no evidence to support the claim.

Reuters also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: False claim Joint Chiefs chairman Mark Milley arrested | Fact check