President Donald Trump said Friday that military leaders are preparing to review a video released by six Democrats in Congress that urges U.S. troops to reject what the lawmakers describe as illegal orders.
The confrontation uncovers a conflict over civilian-military relations.
Trump told radio host Brian Kilmeade that War Secretary Pete Hegseth and military courts might be checking the video.
"I think Pete Hegseth is looking into it. I know they're looking into it militarily," the president said.
"I don't know for a fact, but I think the military is looking into it, the military courts."
The video in question was released by six lawmakers, all of whom are veterans of the military or intelligence community: Sens. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Mark Kelly of Arizona and Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, and Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan, both of Pennsylvania.
In it, one of the participants states: "Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders."
Trump reposted content on social media and fired away: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" and called for the lawmakers' arrest and trial.
He also reposted comments from other accounts, including one saying, "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!"
At a briefing on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration was not advocating the execution of members of Congress. Still, she emphasized the gravity of the lawmakers' message.
"You have sitting members of the United States Congress ... encouraging them to defy the president's lawful orders," she said.
Legal analysts note that while U.S. military personnel are required under the Uniform Code of Military Justice to follow lawful orders, they are also obligated to refuse orders that are manifestly unlawful.
The topic raises questions about how orders are classified as illegal and about the authority that lawmakers or commanders have to reject them.
Republican alignment on the issue has been uneven.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., described the lawmakers' video as "wildly inappropriate" and called their message "a very dangerous thing for so-called leaders in Congress" to urge.
Johnson also said he did not believe the president was calling for violence or executions.
The dispute is unfolding amid broader concerns among mostly Democrats about the military's role in National Guard deployments and bombing narco-terrorist boats in the Caribbean.
Some defense officials and experts warn that encouraging service members to second-guess or refuse orders may erode military cohesion and discipline.
As for Trump, he said the lawmakers were "in serious trouble" and declared, "These are people that, in my opinion, broke the law."
He added, "I'm not threatening them, but I think they're in serious trouble."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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