The Daily Beast reports:
Finding himself in the news for non-sex-scandal-related matters on Wednesday, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) was left flustered and shaking his head when Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivered a blistering retort to the MAGA congressman’s criticism that the military is too “woke.”
With the GOP currently engaged in an all-encompassing culture war against “critical race theory,” Gaetz and Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) blasted Milley during a Housed Armed Services hearing about the teaching of CRT to military leaders. Given an opportunity to respond by Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Milley offered up a passionate defense.
NPR reports:
“I do think it’s important, actually, for those of us in uniform to be open-minded and be widely read. And it is important that we train and we understand,” he declared before referencing the Jan. 6 insurrection. “I want to understand white rage, and I’m white. What is it that caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to overturn the Constitution of the United States of America?”
“I’ve read Mao Zedong. I’ve read Karl Marx, I’ve read Lenin. That doesn’t make me a communist. So what is wrong with understanding — having some situational understanding about the country for which we are here to defend?” Milley said.
He continued brusquely: “And I personally find it offensive that we are accusing the United States military, our general officers, our commissioned, non-commissioned officers of being, quote, ‘woke’ or something else, because we’re studying some theories that are out there.”
Gen. Mark Milley responds to Rep. Matt Gaetz on Extremism & Critical Race Theory: “I personally find it offensive that we are accusing the United States military, our general officers, our commissioned, non-commissioned officers of being ‘woke’ or something else.” pic.twitter.com/P1x6vg9FUr
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 23, 2021
Take 2 minutes of your day to watch Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Mark Milley take down Matt Gaetz
— MeidasTouch.com (@MeidasTouch) June 23, 2021
Someone tell me why Matt Gaetz gets to grill the FBI Director, Defense Secretary and General Milley when he himself is under FBI investigation and awaits indictment for sex trafficking
— Lindy Li (@lindyli) June 23, 2021
Matt Gaetz, sneering and shaking his head.
That little weasel, that goddamn simpering coward, that drunken sex trafficker, isn’t man enough to hold General Milley’s hat while he takes a piss.
Gaetz is a fucking disgrace to this country and everything it stands for. https://t.co/GkkjnxgIaI
— Stonekettle (@Stonekettle) June 23, 2021
Rep. Matt Gaetz was left flustered and shaking his head when Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivered a blistering retort to the MAGA congressman’s criticism that the military is too “woke” https://t.co/cAG7UHT4AO
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) June 23, 2021
I don’t think Matt Gaetz is comprehending the clear message General Milley just sent. Allow me to translate “MAGA will be turned to dust the next time they attempt another stunt like 1/6”. Hope those 2A toys can compete with drones and all 6 branches. ??? pic.twitter.com/LXhD3QTlgN
— Christopher Harless (@100mphvomit) June 23, 2021