'Always whispering devilish ideas in the king's ear': Gen. Milley had a low opinion of Stephen Miller, new book says

Gen. Mark Milley appears to not have been a fan of former Trump White House advisor Stephen Miller and thought of him as "a Rasputin character, always whispering devilish ideas in the king's ear," according to an excerpt from a new book documenting Trump's last days in office.

According to Business Insider, the highlighted excerpt comes from the new book "I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year." Authored by Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Phillip Rucker, the book sheds light on some of Milley's concerns, and based on the writers' reporting, the top-ranking general had shared his concerns about Miller with his aides.

Per the publication:

"Milley likened Miller to the villainous Grigori Rasputin, an influential Russian political figure also called the "Mad Monk," who held significant influence over the last Tsar, Nicholas II, and his family. The self-professed holy man was later murdered by aristocrats."

The authors also indicated that the strain between Milley and Miller reached a boiling point last summer amid the nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd. During that time, Miller reportedly suggested that former President Donald Trump deploy armed troops to handle protesters among other things.

"Mr. President, you have to show strength. They're burning the country down," the book claims Miller said during a meeting with Trump. Milley reportedly "whipped his head around" and fired back at Miller saying, "Stephen, shut the f--- up. They're not burning the f---ing country down."

The book also claims Trump, who appeared entertained by the quarrel, watched the two men "silently and eagerly, as if the argument between his advisers were a pay-per-view fight on HBO."

However, on July 16, Trump pushed back against the claim as he released a statement denying that he discussed the deployment of the military amid the George Floyd protests.

"Despite the fact that the 2020 Presidential Election was Rigged and Stolen, and while numerous people, including the outside public, were saying we should bring in the Military, I never even gave it a thought," Trump wrote in the statement. "Never once did I have a discussion with him about bringing in the Military, or a 'coup.'"