White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday forcefully denied that President Donald Trump is calling for the execution of Democrat lawmakers after he accused them of "seditious behavior" for urging U.S. service members to refuse to obey "illegal orders" from the administration.
Leavitt, pressed directly during a briefing on whether the president "wants to execute members of Congress," responded, "No. Let's be clear about what the president is responding to.
"You have sitting members of the United States Congress who conspired together to orchestrate a video message to members of the United States military, to active-duty service members, to members of the national security apparatus, encouraging them to defy the president's lawful orders," Leavitt continued during Thursday's White House press conference, shown live on Newsmax.
"The sanctity of our military rests on the chain of command, and if that chain of command is broken, it can lead to people getting killed," she said. "It can lead to chaos."
Leavitt's comments came hours after Trump criticized six Democrat lawmakers — all with military or intelligence backgrounds — for releasing a video urging troops to "refuse illegal orders."
In a series of Truth Social posts, he said their actions amounted to "seditious behavior at the highest level" and declared the lawmakers "should be arrested and put on trial."
He later added, "Seditious behavior, punishable by death!" and reposted several comments, including one that said: "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD!!"
Leavitt said the attention should be on the lawmakers' video, not Trump's reaction, insisting the group crossed a dangerous line by instructing active-duty personnel to second-guess the chain of command.
The video features Democrat Sens. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Mark Kelly of Arizona, along with Democrat Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, and Christopher Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania.
They repeatedly told service members, "You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders," without specifying what such orders might be.
The lawmakers said they fear Trump could use the military improperly, including at polling locations, a claim the president has repeatedly denied.
Leavitt said several of the lawmakers "knew exactly what they were doing" because of their backgrounds as veterans or national security professionals.
She said their message risks sowing distrust within the ranks.
"They were leaning into their credentials as former members of our military, as veterans, as former members of the national security apparatus, to signal to people serving under this commander in chief, Donald Trump, that you can defy him and you can betray your oath of office," she said.
"That is a very, very dangerous message, and it perhaps is punishable by law."
Critics of the video, including Republican lawmakers, called the message unprecedented.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said it was "inconceivable" for elected officials to tell troops to defy their commander in chief, while War Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the video as "Stage 4 Trump Derangement Syndrome."
Pressed again on whether Trump's own words, including calling the Democrats "traitors" and saying their behavior is "punishable by death," amounted to encouraging political violence, Leavitt pushed back.
She said the focus should be on the lawmakers' actions, not Trump's characterization of them.
"They are literally saying to 1.3 million active-duty service members not to follow lawful orders," she said. "They're suggesting that the president has given illegal orders, which he has not."
Leavitt said every order issued through the chain of command, including through the Department of War, is lawful and consistent with court rulings.
"We don't defy court orders. We do things by the book," she said.
She added that the lawmakers' message could "disrupt the chain of command" and "should be held accountable."
"And that's what the president wants to see," Leavitt said.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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