A political firestorm has erupted in Washington after President Donald Trump renewed his attacks on six Democratic members of Congress who appeared in a video advising U.S. military personnel to refuse illegal orders. This is a principle built into U.S. military law. Al-Mayadeen reports that the conflict, which includes legal experts, veterans’ organizations and militia scholars, warns of rising risks to democratic norms.
Representatives Mark Kelly of Arizona, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Hoolahan of Pennsylvania, and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire released videos on Friday. All six are from the military or intelligence community, and in their messages they urged service members to “reject illegal orders” and reminded them that U.S. law protects service members who refuse to carry out illegal orders.
The video does not give any specific orders, but it was released against the backdrop of Trump’s recent controversial moves, including deploying the National Guard to U.S. cities despite local opposition, and a series of extrajudicial airstrikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific Ocean, actions that have left more than 80 people dead and that legal analysts say lacks proper authority.
President Trump was furious and accused the lawmakers of treason. He said Friday that they had committed “inflammatory acts punishable by death.” The next night, he escalated his remarks further on social media. “The traitors who directed the military to disobey my orders should be in jail now, not roaming fake news networks trying to explain that what they said was okay.”
He went on to declare that their message was “mayhem at the highest level” and claimed that “there can be no other interpretation of what they said.”
Democratic leaders condemned the remarks as “extremely despicable” and warned that a president who uses prison or the death penalty against political opponents is stepping into authoritarian territory.
Military law experts have emphasized that the lawmakers’ message reflects a long-standing principle under the Uniform Act of Military Justice that military personnel must obey lawful orders but not carry out illegal orders.
As former federal prosecutor Michael McAuliffe explained to Newsweek, “The fact that the president is publicly criticizing elected officials in another branch of government for making correct statements of the law does not diminish the legitimacy of the video; it merely legitimizes it. … And to be clear, the legislator’s statements contained in the video are perfectly legal, even if they are partially politically motivated in addition to necessity.”
Other experts say the situation illustrates the real challenges for military forces faced with ambiguous or politically charged directives. “You can’t expect sailors to overrule the lawyers in Washington,” former Air Force JAG officer Rachel VanLandingham told Fox News Digital.
Veterans organizations and veterans have also expressed concerns. Some critics say Trump is politicizing the military, which has traditionally been shielded from partisan conflict. Analysts say the president’s escalating rhetoric risks undermining confidence among service members that they will not be forced to choose between conflicting political loyalties.
So far, there has been no public indication that the Pentagon or military courts have launched formal investigations into the lawmakers’ comments, despite President Trump’s indications of such an outcome. It also remains unclear which specific orders Democrats believe were illegal, or whether they will clarify their concerns.
MNA