The Hill - President Trump called a group of Democrats “traitors” on Thursday and suggested they be locked up and punished by death, after the lawmakers urged members of the military to resist unlawful orders by the administration.
Trump was responding to a video, made by six Democrats with military and intelligence backgrounds, that directly addresses active service members and says, “Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders.”
Trump and other top administration officials seized on the video to claim the lawmakers involved were undermining the government.
“This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???” Trump posted on Truth Social.
He later posted a message that said: “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”
The president also reposted several messages on the social media platform from users attacking the lawmakers involved in the video, including one user who wrote, “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”
While the lawmakers don’t point to any specific action by the White House, the video comes as the Trump administration has carried out deadly strikes in the Caribbean, blowing up boats on the suspicion they are ferrying drugs. The Trump administration has not provided evidence to back its claims regarding the boats; and law enforcement traditionally interdicts boats suspected of drug activity, rather than attacking them.
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In a response, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), one of the members on the video, also cited the deployment of U.S. troops on American streets.
“A lot of people got upset about the video, and let me just say, they are trying to wield fear to get us to stop talking about this issue. They don’t want to be talking about the deployment of the military in our streets, the deployment of federal law enforcement in our streets. They don’t want to have that public conversation, because they know it goes to the heart of who we are as Americans, as a democracy,” she said, adding that both Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should appear for a public hearing.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche suggested Wednesday the Justice Department might launch a probe into the six Democrats.
“You had members of Congress, members of the Senate, encouraging members of our military and members of our intelligence committee community to go and defy orders. And by the way, there is nothing illegal about what we are doing. … And this is abhorrent conduct,” Blanche said during an appearance on “The Sean Hannity Show” on Fox News.
“What is the reason for saying what they said, except for to encourage members of our military, to encourage members of our intelligence community to defy a direct command from their superior, and that is wrong.”
At one point, Hannity displayed the Insurrection Act, which bars anyone who engages in a rebellion from holding public office.
Blanche stopped short of suggesting the lawmakers violated that statute, but said any probe “would absolutely be under what these — what their intent was in saying this.
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