The FBI and Department of Justice have contacted the U.S. Capitol Police to coordinate interviews with six Democrat lawmakers who appeared in a widely criticized video telling military service members they could refuse orders they believe to be “illegal.”
The lawmakers released the video last week, aimed at active-duty troops and intelligence officers.
The Democrats featured in the viral video were Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO).
In the message, they stated:
“Our laws are clear.
“You can refuse illegal orders.”
WATCH:
The response from the White House was immediate.
President Donald Trump said the lawmakers should face criminal consequences, calling their actions “seditious behavior, punishable by DEATH!”
War Department Opens Misconduct Review; Kelly Could Face Court-Martial
On Monday, the Department of War announced that it had launched a formal review into allegations of misconduct involving Sen. Kelly over his participation in the video.
Because Kelly is a retired Navy captain, the Pentagon retains the authority to recall him to active duty for potential court-martial or other UCMJ proceedings.
According to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the four House Democrats who previously served in uniform are not retirees and therefore are not subject to the UCMJ.
Slotkin, a former CIA officer, is likewise outside military jurisdiction.
“Politically-Motivated Influence Operation”
In a detailed statement posted Tuesday, Hegseth argued that the video carried far different implications within the military than civilians might recognize.
He wrote that the message “may seem harmless to civilians — but it carries a different weight inside the military.”
Hegseth described the video as a “politically-motivated influence operation” and outlined why he believes the message undermined the chain of command.
According to Hegseth, the lawmakers failed to name a specific unlawful order, “created ambiguity rather than clarity.”
They used what he called “carefully scripted, legal-sounding language.”
He said their framing encouraged partisan distrust rather than adherence to established legal procedures already in place for handling unlawful orders.
Hegseth warned that ambiguous rhetoric inside the military “undermines trust, creates hesitation in the chain of command, and erodes cohesion.”
The military, he noted, already has well-defined processes for addressing unlawful orders, and “does not need political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command.”
He concluded by stating that the lawmakers, whom he referred to collectively as the “Seditious Six,” knew “exactly what they were doing — sowing doubt through a politically-motivated influence operation.
“The @DeptofWar won’t fall for it or stand for it.”
Federal Interviews Expected in the Coming Days
With the FBI and DOJ now moving to schedule interviews through Capitol Police, the controversy appears far from over.
The combination of a federal criminal inquiry and a military jurisdiction review suggests the administration is prepared to pursue the matter on multiple fronts.
The six lawmakers have not yet publicly responded to the planned interviews.
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