Trump says Democratic lawmakers should face trial for sedition

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump called Thursday for six Democratic lawmakers to face trial on charges of sedition after they released a now viral video calling on service members and intelligence officers to "refuse unlawful orders.”

"This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. Seditious behavior from traitors!!! Lock them up???" Trump wrote on his proprietary Truth Social platform.

"Seditious behavior, punishable by death!" he added in a separate post.

The furor comes after Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, and Reps. Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander and Chrissy Houlahan released a video Tuesday in which they urged service members and intelligence officers to "refuse unlawful orders."

The lawmakers, who either served in the armed forces or the intelligence community before entering Congress, said they wanted to speak directly to those who serve, saying, "Americans trust their military, but that trust is at risk."

"This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens. 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," they said in a compiled video message.

"Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders," they said. "No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution. We know this is hard, and that it's a difficult time to be a public servant, but whether you're serving in the CIA, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, your vigilance is critical and know that we have your back."

The appeal comes as Trump continues to federalize state National Guard troops to carry out his domestic agenda, using service members with the stated aim of cracking down on crime in major US cities.

Multiple states and cities have sued the administration, alleging the deployments violate a 19th century law known as the Posse Comitatus Act, which generally prohibits the military from being used for domestic law enforcement.

The lawmakers issued a response to the president's threat, saying "no threat, intimidation, or call for violence will deter us."

“What’s most telling is that the President considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law," they said. “But this isn’t about any one of us. This isn’t about politics. This is about who we are as Americans. Every American must unite and condemn the President’s calls for our murder and political violence. This is a time for moral clarity."

The White House denied that Trump wants to execute them, but spokesperson Karoline Leavitt accused them of having encouraged active-duty service members and intelligence operatives "to defy the president's lawful orders."

"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,” she added.