The FBI and the Justice Department are seeking to interview six Democrat members of Congress about a controversial video they participated in, urging members of the military and intelligence community to “refuse illegal orders.”
A Justice Department official spoke on condition of anonymity to Reuters and claimed the FBI interviews sought to determine “if there’s any wrongdoing, and then go from there.”
The video, which was released last week, featured two sitting U.S. senators and four members of the House of Representatives, a majority of whom were veterans. The members of Congress who participated in the video were Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.; Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa.; Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H.; Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.; Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo.
President Donald Trump, who is the commander in chief of the American armed forces, decried the lawmakers’ statements in the film, writing on Nov. 20 on Truth Social, “It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand – We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET.”
The Department of War then announced on Nov. 24 that it had “received serious allegations of misconduct against Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.),” adding, “In accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 688, and other applicable regulations, a thorough review of these allegations has been initiated to determine further actions, which may include recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures.”
Kelly, for his part, declared that he would not be “silenced” or “intimidated” in a recent interview.
“Secretary [Pete] Hegseth’s tweet is the first I heard of this. I also saw the President’s posts saying I should be arrested, hanged, and put to death. If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work. I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution,” Kelly posted on X on Monday.
With the potential law enforcement interviews and further public comments, the Trump administration appears to be doubling down on its criticism of the Democrat lawmakers.
“The despicable video urging @DeptofWar troops to ‘refuse illegal orders’ may seem harmless to civilians — but it carries a different weight inside the military,” Hegseth posted Tuesday morning on X.
“In the military, vague rhetoric and ambiguity undermines trust, creates hesitation in the chain of command, and erodes cohesion. The military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. It does not need political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command,” Hegseth continued.
“As veterans of various sorts, the Seditious Six knew exactly what they were doing — sowing doubt through a politically-motivated influence operation. The @DeptofWar won’t fall for it or stand for it,” the war secretary concluded.
The Daily Signal has reached out to the offices of the members of Congress who participated in the video for comment.
Jacob Adams is a journalism fellow at The Daily Signal. Send an email to Jacob.
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