Rep. Paul Gosar targets Joint Chiefs of Staff chair as 'traitor,' vows investigation

U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar is zeroing in on Gen. Mark Milley, calling the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff a "traitor" and signaling that an investigation is coming.

On Twitter, Gosar, R-Ariz., this month wrote that the new Republican-controlled House of Representatives will conduct "a real investigation" into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot and "the effort to attempt a coup between traitor Gen. Mark Milley and (then-House Speaker Nancy) Pelosi will be reviewed and exposed."

It might not be an idle threat. New House rules passed Jan. 10 may set up a situation in which Gosar and other members of Congress who came under scrutiny for their roles in the lead-up to the Jan. 6 riot may get the opportunity to act as investigators.

Gosar has been a veteran member of the investigative House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. His Twitter message about Milley, the highest-ranking officer in the U.S. military, and Pelosi, D-Calif., was in response to comedian and broadcaster John Fugelsang's tweet, which said: "Remember - (new House Speaker) Kevin McCarthy, (and Reps.) Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert & Paul Gosar all share the same pre-existing sedition. #January6th."

Other new House rules include: the weakening of the House Ethics Committee, creating the "weaponization of the federal government" subcommittee and ending the prior Jan 6. subcommittee created when the Democrats held the House majority.

Gosar followed up his initial comments with an explanatory post: "Milleys treasonous sell out to China will be investigated. Pelosi not warning members about intel of impending violence will be exposed. Soon, we'll know the truth."

Why does Gosar have a problem with Milley?

Gosar's remarks on Milley stem from revelations first published in Bob Woodward and Robert Costa's book "Peril" and echo former President Donald Trump's reaction. As chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Milley called his Chinese equivalent, called Gen. Li Zuocheng, twice to prevent a possible violent conflict.

Milley's first phone call to Li took place on Oct. 30, 2020, in which he reassured China that the U.S. had no intentions of instigating a military strike against the country. His actions came after receiving intelligence that the Chinese thought the U.S. was planning to initiate an attack after an uptick of U.S. Armed Forces' operations in the South China Sea and Trump's rhetoric about the nation.

Milley told Li that he would give him advance notice if the U.S. ever were to take such actions.

The second call Milley made was on Jan. 8, 2021, two days after the Capitol riot, to alleviate Li's concerns about the steadiness of the U.S. government and how that might impact China's national security.

In response to the book, Trump released a statement saying that if there was veracity to the claim, "then I assume (Milley) would be tried for TREASON in that he would have been dealing with his Chinese counterpart behind the President's back and telling China that he would be giving them notification 'of an attack.' Can't do that!"

Regarding Pelosi, the former House speaker, Gosar echoed Republican sentiments that Pelosi was to blame for the attack, published in late December in an alternative Jan. 6 report from House Republicans. According to factcheck.org, which is run by the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, this claim is unsubstantiated.

The Pentagon and Pelosi's office did not respond to requests for comment. Gosar's office also did not respond to a request for comment.

The new House GOP majority has voted to create the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government that will investigate President Joe Biden and actions by the executive branch, which could include looking into the FBI and/or Justice Department's handling of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.

The rules package passed Monday also ended the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, established by the prior, Democrat-controlled Congress to investigate the events of that day. The committee reported on the roles of Gosar and Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz. Both have denied any part in the planning of the riot.

Biggs and Gosar were referred to the House Ethics Committee for ignoring subpoenas to testify before the Jan 6. committee. Under the new rules in the 118th Congress, the House Ethics Committee has been weakened. Among other changes, the committee can only bring on new employees during the first month, and term limits were instituted for members, effectively kicking out all of the Democrats except one.

Tara Kavaler is a politics reporter at The Arizona Republic. She can be reached by email at tara.kavaler@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @kavalertara.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rep. Gosar targets Joint Chiefs of Staff chair as 'traitor'