It was recently revealed that General Mark Milley quietly intervened to prevent outgoing President Trump from taking actions that Milley considered dangerous during the last few, chaotic weeks of his administration. Milley, as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the nation’s highest ranking military officer, and while his actions were not unprecedented, they were highly unusual and clearly undermined the president’s authority. As a result, there has been an outcry among conservative politicians, rightwing media, and some retired military officers, demanding that Milley step down.
The incident highlights a dilemma that public officials may face in extreme situations: do I follow protocol, when that may lead to a negative outcome, or do I ignore protocol and do what I think is best under the circumstances?
Former F.B.I. Director James Comey experienced that dilemma in the fall of 2016. The F.B.I. had earlier investigated Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server when receiving emails from the state department. They determined that her handling of potentially classified information had been careless, but that it didn’t merit prosecution — and they informed both Congress and the public that Clinton — the Democratic presidential nominee — was no longer under investigation.
