Democrats and many members of the media were furious when President Donald Trump revoked the protection provided to former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Army Gen. Mark Milley, but new Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the general had violated the chain of command.

They were also incensed that the photo of Milley that was hanging at the Pentagon had been removed.

But Hegseth insinuated that Milley may have violated the chain of command during Trump’s term when he secretly phoned his Chinese counterpart twice, ostensibly to ‘assure’ the Chinese general that he would be warned ahead of time if Trump sought to launch a nuclear strike when he spoke to Fox News host Will Cain on Friday.

“I want to ask you about General Mark Milley. His photo, his portrait was taken down at the Pentagon. He has, I think there is currently a commission being put together to explore whether or not he should be demoted,” the host said to his former Fox News colleague.

“His security clearances have been taken away. Tell me the thought process, both there at the Pentagon, at the White House, with Mark Milley,” he said.

“Accountability is back, Will. It’s the understanding that if you actively undermine the chain of command, as General Milley did under the previous Trump administration, we are going to review those actions administratively inside the Defense Department. Mark Milley got a pardon,” the defense secretary responded.

“That’s something President Biden was in his purview to do. Just like in our purview at the Defense Department, we have the opportunity to review things he may have done inside the chain of command while President Trump was president that undermined those authorities. So security clearance in the interim is revoked,” Hegseth added.

“There will be a review of the rank he will retain upon retirement. And he’ll have that process. But this is a demonstration that inside President Trump’s Defense Department, we’re going to hold not just junior levels, the highest levels possible accountable for actions. And that’s what the signal this is meant to send,” he said.