Trump calls Democrats ‘traitors’ for urging military to ‘refuse illegal orders’
WASHINGTON— President Trump on Thursday said he believes Democratic lawmakers publicly calling on active-duty service members to “reject illegal orders” amounts to seditious behavior and should be punishable by death.
“This is seditious behavior at the HIGHEST LEVEL. Each of these traitors who betrayed our country MUST be arrested and tried. Let their words not lose their validity – Our Country will no longer exist!!! MUST BE AN EXAMPLE” he said in a social media post..
Trump amplified more than a dozen social media posts from others calling for Democrats to be arrested, charged and, in one case, hanged in response to Trump’s post. Trump then continued: “ABOMINATIVE BEHAVIOR is punishable by DEATH!”
The president’s words were a reaction Joint video published by six Democratic MPs Here they called on military and intelligence personnel to “reject illegal orders.”
The Democratic lawmakers who released the video — Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Michigan Sen. Alyssa Slotkin, Pennsylvania Rep. Chris Deluzio, New Hampshire Rep. Maggie Goodlander, Pennsylvania Rep. Chrissy Houlahan and Colorado Rep. Jason Crow — served in the military or as intelligence officers.
They did not specify which orders they were talking about. But they said the Trump administration was “pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens” and that threats to the Constitution were coming “right here, at home.”
The video, released Tuesday, was quickly criticized by Republicans; including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who described the video as “Phase 4.” [Trump Derangement Syndrome].” But Trump, who was the first to react to the video on Thursday, saw it as more than a partisan speech.
“BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! SHUT THEM DOWN???” Trump said this in another post.
Asked Thursday if the president wanted to execute members of Congress, as suggested in one of his social media posts, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “no.”
But Leavitt said the president wants them to be “held accountable.”
“This is a very, very dangerous message and perhaps punishable by law,” Leavitt said. “I leave that decision to the Department of Justice and the Department of War.”
What does the law say?
Under federal law, known as “seditious conspiracy,” it is a crime for two or more persons to “conspire to overthrow, overthrow, or destroy by force the Government of the United States” or “obstruct, obstruct, or delay by force the execution of any law of the United States.”
The seditious conspiracy charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Federal courts and legal experts have long emphasized that seditious conspiracy charges apply only to coordinated efforts to use force against the government, rather than political opposition.
Federal prosecutors last filed seditious conspiracy charges in connection with the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were convicted of seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to prevent the forcible transfer of presidential power to Joe Biden.
Among those convicted was former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, whose 22-year sentence was the harshest among the Jan. 6 rioters. Trump pardoned him earlier this year.
Hours after the President’s posts, six Democratic lawmakers issued a joint statement calling on Americans to “unite and condemn the President’s calls for murder and political violence.”
“The most significant thing is that the President thinks that reforming the law would be punishable by death,” the lawmakers said in their statement. sent to x “Our soldiers must know that we have their backs as they fulfill their oath to the Constitution and their obligation to obey only lawful orders.”
Democratic leaders in Washington and across the country condemned Trump’s post.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY), in a statement along with other Democratic leaders, said Trump’s comments were “disgusting and dangerous death threats against members of Congress.” They added that they were in contact with the US Capitol Police to ensure the safety of Democratic lawmakers and their families.
California Governor Gavin Newsom reacted to the posts, saying he was “sick in the head” because Trump called for the death of Democratic lawmakers.
