Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP / Getty Images
President Donald Trump has demanded that six Democratic lawmakers be arrested and put on trial, as well as amplified calls for them to be hanged, after the group released a video reminding U.S. service members they can refuse illegal orders, per Politico.
On Thursday (November 20), Trump went on a Truth Social rant, accusing lawmakers of "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL."
“Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand – We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET," he wrote.
The president then reposted 16 additional Truth Social messages, including one that said the Democrats should be hanged with the caption: “GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD.”
“This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country," Trump wrote Thursday.
“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” he added.
Trump's rant came after six lawmakers, Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), and Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), appeared in a video on Tuesday (November 18), reminding service members and intelligence officials that “our laws are clear, you can refuse illegal orders." Among the group are military veterans and people who worked in national security-focused roles before taking office.
“We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now,” the group said. “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.”
Their comments came as Trump federalized National Guard troops in multiple U.S. cities, a move Democrats say is illegal and have sued to block.
House Democratic leaders condemned Trump’s posts in a joint statement, calling them “disgusting and dangerous death threats” and urging him to delete them. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Whip Katherine Clark, and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said they had alerted security officials to “ensure the safety” of the targeted lawmakers.
“Donald Trump incited a violent attack on the Capitol on January 6th as part of a treacherous attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,” House Democratic leaders wrote. “The President’s violent and unhinged rhetoric against American patriots is consistent with his well-documented history of attacking prisoners of war, Gold Star families, and war heroes. There is no bottom when it comes to Donald Trump.”
The six Democrats also responded to Trump's comments, rejecting his threats.
“No threat, intimidation, or call for violence would deter us from defending the Constitution," the group said. “What’s most telling is that the President considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law. Our servicemembers should know that we have their backs as they fulfill their oath to the Constitution and obligation to follow only lawful orders. It is not only the right thing to do, but also our duty.”
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