Trump says Democrats ‘should be in jail’ for urging military to refuse illegal orders

President Donald Trump claimed Saturday that Democrats who urged the military to defy illegal orders engaged in “sedition at the highest level” and “should be in jail right now.”

This comes after one of the lawmakers who appeared in the video calling on troops to ignore illegal orders, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, was the target of a bomb threat just days after the clip and Trump’s subsequent statements suggesting the execution of Democrats.

In an article published Saturday on Truth Social, Trump claimed that the “traitors” who appeared in the video “should be in jail right now, not trawling fake news networks trying to explain what they say is OK.”

“It wasn’t, and it never will be!” he said. “This was sedition at the highest level, and sedition is a major crime. There can be no other interpretation of what they said!”

SEN. SLOTKIN’S HOME TARGETED BY BOMB THREAT DAYS AFTER SHE TOLD TROOPS TO DEFY “ILLEGAL” ORDERS

President Donald Trump said Democrats who urged the military to defy illegal orders engaged in “sedition at the highest level” and “should be in jail right now.” (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Trump initially responded to the video message by saying: “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH! » He also shared a message from another account that read: “Hang them, George Washington would do it.”

The White House and the president himself later tried to walk back his comments, saying he did not want to execute Democratic lawmakers.

In another article published Saturday, Trump claimed that “many leading legal scholars” agreed with his position that “the Democratic traitors who told the military to disobey my orders as president committed a crime of grave proportions!” »

Slotkin, who previously worked at the CIA and the Department of Defense, shared video Tuesday of herself and other Democratic lawmakers who previously served in the military and intelligence community encouraging troops and members of the intelligence community to ignore illegal orders from officials.

“This administration pits our uniformed military and intelligence professionals against American citizens,” the lawmakers said. “Like us, you all took an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. Today, the threats to our Constitution come not only from abroad but from here at home. Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders. No one is required to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.”

SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN ACCUSES TRUMP OF “DANGEROUS RHETORIC”

Sen. Elissa Slotkin was the target of a bomb threat just days after the video and subsequent statements by President Donald Trump suggesting the lawmakers be executed. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Other lawmakers in the video included Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, as well as Reps. Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Jason Crow of Colorado.

Trump administration officials and other Republicans criticized the video, which claims that refusing illegal orders is part of military protocol.

Slotkin’s office said Friday that police responded to her Michigan home following a bomb threat, but that she was not home at the time.

The U.S. Capitol Police told him they would provide security at all hours of the day.

“We have law enforcement outside my house,” she told MS Now. “That changes things immediately. And the leadership climate is set from the top. And if the president says you should be hanged, then we shouldn’t be surprised when people on the ground follow suit and say even worse.”

Lawmakers in the video vowed not to back down despite the threats. (Paul Sancya – Piscine/Getty Images)

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Lawmakers in the video vowed not to back down despite the threats.

“Most tellingly, the President considers himself subject to the death penalty if we rewrite the law. Our military must know that we support them as they fulfill their oath to the Constitution and their obligation to follow only lawful orders. This is not only the right thing to do, but also our duty,” they said in a joint statement Thursday.

“In these moments, fear is contagious, but so is courage. We will continue to lead and will not be intimidated,” the statement added.