President Donald Trump suggested that the Department of War may be investigating the six Democratic Congressional veterans who released a video urging service members to reject unlawful orders.
The members of Congress, who were all high-ranking former members of the military and national security establishment, strongly suggested to servicemembers that they should disregard legitimate instructions from their chain of command and the President of the United States in very vague and wide terms. They also tried to frighten US subordinates into disobeying orders by saying they had to.
In the video, the veterans — Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) — told the military and intelligence communities that “no one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.”
Trump said during an appearance on “The Brian Kilmeade Show” that the six lawmakers were in “serious trouble. I’m not threatening death, but I think they’re in serious trouble. In the old days, it was death.”
“I think [Secretary of Defense] Pete Hegseth is looking into it,” he said, and later added: “I know they’re looking into it militarily. I don’t know for a fact, but I think the military is looking into it, the military courts.”
“They’re young privates and young corporals and young sergeants. And they’re not scholars, necessarily. There might be a few, frankly, but they’re not scholars. They don’t, you know, study the Constitution, etc, etc. They know that. So, these are bad people. These are people that, in my opinion, broke the law. Now, what happens to them? I can’t tell you, but they broke the law. That is a terrible statement,” Trump said.
“I can say, if I ever said that, and there were a Democrat as president, all hell would have broken loose. And it has broken loose. I have had more calls from people, even Democrats, saying, What a horrible thing that was,” Trump added.
Host Brian Kilmeade asked, “So do you worry that someone on the Gerald R. Ford will say, “Hey, I don’t want to do this Venezuelan mission. I don’t want to sit out in the ocean,” you know, “I’m out?” You know, do you worry about them saying, ‘I don’t want to go to Chicago and be in the National Guard. I’m out?’ Do you worry about that?”
“No, I don’t worry about anything like that, because I’m a leader, and they do as I say. But it certainly is not a good situation. You know, it could happen with certain leaders. It could happen. I don’t think that’d happen with me, but, you know, you never know. Look, that was a very terrible— that was a traitorous statement, that was a horrible thing to do. I believe they broke the law very strongly. I think it’s a very— I think it’s a very serious violation of the law,” Trump said.
“Well, I think Pete Hegseth is looking into it, too. I know they’re looking into it militarily. I don’t know for a fact, but I think the military is looking into it, the military courts,” the president added.
Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin (MI), a former CIA agent who was in the video in question, appeared to walk back her comments on Sunday.
When asked point-blank if Trump has given a single illegal order to members of the military, Slotkin gave a word salad response to ABC’s Martha Raddatz.
Slotkin said, “So I think the reason we put that statement out is because the sheer number of frankly, young officers who are coming to us and saying I just I’m not sure what do I do. You know I’m in south calm and I’m involved in the National Guard. I’m just not sure what do I do and I think look you don’t take my word for it. We’ve had report after report of legal officer, jag officers coming forward and saying look. I push back on this. I’m not sure that this is legal. There is such things as illegal orders.”
She conitnued to deflect, “That’s why it’s in the uniform code of military justice going back in nuremberg right and it’s just that it’s a totally benign statement and if the president is concerned about it than he should stay deeply within the law.”
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