Swalwell says military can be ‘check’ on Trump where Congress failed

California gubernatorial candidate and Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell claimed that members of the military told him they could be a “check” on President Donald Trump.

Open Don Lemon’s show On Monday, Swalwell discussed the controversy over a video in which six Democratic lawmakers urged service members to “reject illegal orders” from Trump.

The War Department later announced in X that it had launched a formal investigation into allegations of misconduct against Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, for appearing in the video.

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Swalwell argued that the Trump administration was “praising itself” by pursuing Kelly’s call to resist “illegal orders” and revealed that some service members acted as a “check” on the president.

“What gives me hope is I talk to military members all the time. They tell me I don’t appreciate it enough and the people don’t appreciate it enough; with Congress no longer acting as a check on the president and the judiciary at the Supreme Court barely acting as a check, military members have told me, ‘We can be a check,'” Swalwell said. he said.

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“They’re essentially saying: ‘We’re not going to betray our oath to the Constitution just because this man tells us so.’ Although not codified as such (they are not an organ of government in themselves), their honor and integrity may save us.”

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.; You. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa.; Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D.N.H.; Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.; and Representative Jason Crow, Colonel, to military and intelligence officers, “Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders.” He published a video with his statements. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images; Mark Kelly; Elissa Slotkin; Congress)

Swalwell agrees with Lemon that the Trump administration, and by extension Republicans, are now telling service members to “ignore the Constitution.”

“In my opinion, if Mark Kelly is telling the soldiers, ‘You don’t have to follow an illegal order,’ which they don’t, the only reason you should go after him is if you intend to follow the illegal orders,” Swalwell said. “If you don’t intend to follow illegal orders, why do you care if someone says so?”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the War Department for comment.

The War Department is launching an investigation into Democratic Senator Mark Kelly. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Swalwell’s comments came the same day that Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., appeared on CNN warning military members that there would be consequences if they went after Kelly.

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“Donald Trump will be gone in a few years,” Gallego said. “And if you are part of the military that is going after senators, members of Congress, and being part of the arming of the government, there will undoubtedly be consequences.”