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In multiple Truth Social posts on Thursday, President Donald Trump suggested that Democratic lawmakers should be charged and tried for sedition — and potentially put to death — for reminding members of the armed forces of their legal rights and duties.
Six Democratic lawmakers in Congress, all former members of the military or national security officers, issued a joint video statement on social media this week, informing service members that they do not have to follow orders from the president or their superiors if they believe the orders to be illegal.
The message is especially poignant right now. Trump has frequently teased the idea of deploying U.S. military personnel to Democratic-run cities across the country, ostensibly to quell crime and to aid in his administration’s violent raids on immigrant communities.
Trump has warned that he may send troops to those cities under the auspices of the Insurrection Act, claiming he’s “allowed to do whatever I want” and wrongly saying the “courts wouldn’t get involved.” The law stipulates that presidents can use the military domestically in “cases of insurrection or obstruction to the laws.”
There is no evidence of an insurrection taking place anywhere in the U.S., bringing into question whether such a move would fit within the confines of the law.
The message from Democratic lawmakers to troops also comes as Trump has conducted illegal strikes on boats off the coast of South America — attacks that human rights experts have denounced as “crimes against humanity.” A new report this week demonstrates that a military judge advocate general (JAG) raised concerns about the strikes back in August, one full month before they commenced, and concluded they were illegal. That individual was overruled by higher-ups, and the strikes moved forward regardless of those concerns.
Speaking into the camera one at a time, the Democratic lawmakers were direct in their messaging.
“This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens,” the lawmakers said in their message. “Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this constitution. Right now, the threats to our constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home.”
“Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution,” they added.
The lawmakers’ message is accurate — members of the U.S. military are allowed to disobey orders if they believe the orders are illegal, and are indeed compelled to do so in some circumstances.
The video — produced by Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan) and Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), along with Reps. Maggie Goodlander (D-New Hampshire), Chris Deluzio (D-Pennsylvania), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pennsylvania), and Jason Crow (D-Colorado) — has garnered millions of views.
The statement prompted a visceral response from Trump, who called the explanation of military law “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL.”
“Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL,” Trump demanded on his Truth Social account. “Their words cannot be allowed to stand.”
“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???” Trump asked his followers in another post.
He also shared a post from another user, advocating violence against the lawmakers. “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD!!” that post read.
Trump appeared to endorse that idea. “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” he wrote in a later post.
The type of sedition Trump describes is indeed part of U.S. code. However, the statute in question requires proof of multiple items — chief among them, that a person or group conspired to overthrow or assist in the overthrow of the government or the enforcement of its laws, and that they did so through a show of force. Importantly, sedition is not by itself a capital offense.
In response to the vitriolic posts from the president, the Democratic lawmakers issued another joint statement, saying it was telling that Trump “considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law.”
“Every American must unite and condemn the President’s calls for our murder and political violence,” they added.
The lawmakers also issued their own individual statements.
“I’m not going to be forced away from speaking up on behalf of my country. I refuse to be intimidated out of defending the country I love,” Slotkin stated in a video message.
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