(CNN) Gen. Mark Milley on Friday defended the calls he placed to his Chinese counterpart during Donald Trump's final months in office as "perfectly within the duties and responsibilities" of his job as the chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Wall Street Journal reported. Milley made two backchannel calls to China's top general, Li Zuocheng, that were revealed in "Peril, " the forthcoming book by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa that details the final days of the Trump presidency. In October, as intelligence suggested China believed the US was going to attack them, Milley sought to calm Li by reassuring him that the US was not considering a strike, according to the book. Milley called again two days after the January 6 riot at the US Capitol to tell Li that the US is "100 percent steady" even though "things may look unsteady." Milley's comments Friday are his first public response to the matter and come ahead of a September 28 hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he is sure to face questions about his actions in the final days of the Trump administration.

Source: CNN September 17, 2021 14:30 UTC