House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., defended President Donald Trump's comments calling for severe punishment of those Democrat lawmakers who publicly urged members of the U.S. military to refuse unlawful orders from their commander in chief.
Johnson told reporters Thursday that it was Democrats, not the president, who acted "wildly inappropriate" by advising service members to disobey unlawful commands.
"It's called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"Their words cannot be allowed to stand — We won't have a Country anymore!!!" he wrote, later adding, "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!"
"That is a factual statement," Johnson said, noting that attorneys would ultimately need to "parse" the language in the relevant criminal statute.
Johnson also expressed frustration over the message he believes these lawmakers are sending to young, impressionable troops.
"Consider the threat this poses to our national security and the implications for our institutions," said Johnson.
"For a senator like Mark Kelly[, D-Ariz.,] or any member of the House or Senate to behave in that kind of way is, to me, just beyond the pale," Johnson added, before telling reporters, "I'm not going to say anything more on it."
Trump's reaction stemmed from a video released Tuesday by six Democrat lawmakers, each with backgrounds in the military or intelligence community, stating that service members are obligated to refuse illegal orders.
The video was organized by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., a former CIA analyst who completed multiple tours in Iraq.
Slotkin told The New York Times that some active-duty troops had expressed concerns about the legality of strikes on individuals accused of narcotics trafficking by sea and questioned whether they could face personal liability for any resulting deaths.
"There's a real issue there of morale and a feeling like they don't have a lot of senior leaders who are protecting them," Slotkin said.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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