President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a half-dozen Democratic lawmakers who issued a video urging military officials to “refuse illegal orders” should be tried for seditious behavior, a crime he said was “punishable by death!”
Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), along with Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Chris Deluzio (D-PA) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), put out a video on Tuesday directed at their fellow veterans in the military and intelligence community, urging them not to “carry out orders that violate the laws.” “Don’t give up the ship,” they said.
Trump then issued a fiery response on Thursday morning, claiming the video represented “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL.”
“Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Their words cannot be allowed to stand – We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET.”
He reposted multiple Truth Social comments on the video, including one that read, “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!” before suggesting himself that the six lawmakers should face the death penalty for alleged seditious behavior.
“This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???” he wrote before adding: “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”
In response, the group of six lawmakers shared: “We are veterans and national security professionals who love this country and swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. No threat, intimidation or call for violence will deter us from that sacred obligation.”
“What’s most telling is that the president considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law. Our servicemembers should know that we have their backs as they fulfill their oath to the Constitution and obligation to follow only lawful orders. It is not only the right thing to do, but also our duty,” they continued. “But this isn’t about any one of us. This isn’t about politics. This is about who we are as Americans. Every American must unite and condemn the president’s calls for our murder and political violence. This is a time for moral clarity.”
“In these moments, fear is contagious, but so is courage. We will continue to lead and will not be intimidated,” the group concluded, ultimately reiterating: “Don’t give up the ship.”
TheWrap has reached out to spokespeople for all of the above lawmakers, as well as the White House, for further comment.
The Trump administration has brought cases against multiple enemies of the president in recent months, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump also ordered the Department of Justice to investigate late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to Democrats as the government releases the Epstein files.
