Democrats Targeted by Donald Trump's 'Punishabl...

By Mandy Taheri

Politics and Culture Reporter

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Six Democrats who released a video Tuesday telling members of the military and intelligence community that they can “refuse illegal orders,” which led President Donald Trump to call them “seditious” and say their behavior is “punishable by death,” have called out the president’s message.

In a joint statement, they urged Americans to condemn the calls for violence and stated they will “continue to lead and will not be intimidated.” The Democrats also individually remarked on Trump’s threats.

Newsweek reached out to all six of the Democrats’ press teams for comment via email on Friday.

Why It Matters

On Thursday, Trump demanded the arrest of several "seditious" Democratic lawmakers over a video in which they appealed directly to serving military and intelligence personnel to "refuse illegal orders." Democratic leaders condemned the president's comments, saying "political violence has no place in America."

His remarks come at a time marked by heightened political violence, including the assassinations of Democratic lawmaker Melissa Hortman and conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

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What To Know

Trump’s remarks were directed to a video released by Senators Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly, and Representatives Chris Deluzio, Chrissy Houlahan, Maggie Goodlander, and Jason Crow, all of whom have military or intelligence backgrounds.

In the video, the Democrats told members of the military and intelligence community that they are known members are “under enormous stress and pressure right now,” adding that the trust in the military is “at risk.” The six lawmakers told the members that they can “refuse illegal orders.”'

The video came after some critics had questioned the legality of strikes on alleged drug smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, as well as operations in the United States over immigration.

The lawmakers wrote in a joint Thursday statement following Trump’s comments, “What’s most telling is that the President considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law…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.”

In an individual X post, Kelly, whose wife, former Representative Gabby Giffords, was shot in the head at a constituent meeting in 2011, wrote: “My wife @GabbyGiffords nearly lost her life in an act of political violence. Words have consequences, especially when they come from the President of the United States. What Trump said this morning — that my colleagues and I should be put to death — is dangerous. We can disagree fiercely and say what we think without resorting to stoking violence. Unfortunately, we've seen that at every turn, Donald Trump looks for opportunities to divide us.

Kelly told MS Now on Friday morning that Trump's Thursday remarks made it clear why he and his colleagues needed to speak out, after rising threats against himself and his family, as well as other lawmakers.

In an X post on Thursday, Crow, a Colorado Democrat, said, “I’m a paratrooper. I’m used to being behind enemy lines. To lead in this moment requires us to be bold & unafraid. Donald Trump can threaten to arrest & execute me, but he'll never intimidate me.”

Slotkin said in a video posted on her X account Thursday, "I would hope that people of all backgrounds, Democrat, Republican, independent, would agree that threatening death for people you disagree with is beyond the pale of who we are as Americans."

Houlahan said in a video posted on X on Thursday that Trump’s response is “chilling,” and that his words “reveal far more about his authoritarian instincts than it does about anything we said." Houlahan appeared on CNN, saying she was worried about her team and her family, and was also stunned that the president had called for her death.

A spokesperson for Houlahan told Newsweek on Friday that "no Republican House or Senate member has reached out to Rep. Houlahan as of now."

Goodlander also posted a video following Trump's comments, saying, "it is sad, telling, and downright dangerous that simply stating what our law says caused the President of the United States, our commander-in-chief, to threaten violence against me today."

Deluzio told CNN on Thursday that “it’s an outrageous call for political violence against me and my colleagues who are members of Congress, elected, sharing a basic and fundamental truth about our Constitution. It’s a moment where Democrats and Republicans and everyone else in the country should condemn his calls for political violence.”

He said that he condemned violence in Pennsylvania, including a prior assassination attempt on then-Republican nominee Trump and Governor Josh Shapiro, as well as the more recent assassination of Kirk.

In an appearance on Friday morning on Fox News Radio with Brian Kilmeade, Trump responded to a question about his remarks, in part: "I'm not threatening death, but I think they're in serious trouble. In the old days, it was death. I'm not threatening them, but I think they're in serious trouble. I would say they're in serious trouble."

He added, "But in the old days, if you said a thing like that, that was punishable by death. What they said is, I mean, I don't know about the modern day things, because, you know, modern day is a lot softer."

What People Are Saying

Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in an X post on Thursday: “Donald Trump has made political violence a feature of his politics. Today he crossed yet another line that NO democracy can afford to tolerate. He must be condemned—forcefully, loudly, and without excuses.”

Peter Zeidenberg, a former federal prosecutor, previously told Newsweek: “The statements made by the representatives were legally accurate; servicemen are not supposed to follow illegal orders. There is nothing improper, much less seditious, about that statement. The question I would ask the White House is whether they expect the military to obey an illegal order?”

House Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN’s Manu Raju on Thursday: “I know the [Department of Justice] and the Pentagon are looking into the legality of all of that. But what I can address is what everybody knows—that was wildly inappropriate. It is very dangerous. You have leading members of Congress telling troops to disobey orders. I think that's unprecedented in American history."

The Democratic Caucus said Thursday on X: "Trump just called for the death of Democratic elected officials. Absolutely vile."

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