A group of Democrat lawmakers with military and intelligence backgrounds has sparked a political firestorm after releasing a video urging U.S. service members to “refuse illegal orders.”
Conservatives say the message is a thinly veiled attempt to encourage defiance of President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
The one-minute video, posted by Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and viewed more than 1.6 million times, features six Democrat lawmakers invoking their military service while warning that “the threats to our Constitution are coming from right here at home.”
The clip does not reference any specific legislation or policy fight.
Instead, it presents itself as a “patriotic” reminder for troops to “stand up for our laws” and reject “unlawful orders.”
But conservative commentators immediately blasted the video as a dangerous political stunt designed to undermine Trump’s authority as commander-in-chief.
Popular conservative X account Libs of TikTok wrote:
“Elected Democrats just released a video encouraging members of the military to commit treason and defy orders from Trump and Hegseth.”
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) echoed that sentiment, saying:
“At the end of the day, they’re mad the American people chose Trump and now they’re calling on the Military and Intelligence Community to intervene.
“Sounds a little ‘subversive to democracy’-ish.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth brushed off the video with a blunt response: “Stage 4 TDS,” referring to Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Democrats Target Trump’s Command Authority
Slotkin and her colleagues have spent weeks pushing legislation to curtail President Trump’s ability to deploy National Guard units domestically or authorize military action against narcoterrorists without congressional approval.
Her “No Troops in Our Streets Act,” unveiled November 13, would give Congress the authority to block National Guard deployments in American cities.
President Trump has relied heavily on the Guard to restore law and order in Los Angeles, Portland, and Chicago amid violent crime.
Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) introduced a separate resolution the same day seeking to block Trump from ordering strikes on Caribbean drug traffickers.
Crow falsely claimed the operations are “unauthorized and illegal.”
None of this context appeared in the video, however.
Instead, the lawmakers presented their appeal as a general reminder of constitutional duty.
Inside the Video
Lawmakers featured in the clip include:
- 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)
- Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO)
Collectively, they represent prior service in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and CIA.
Several of them repeat variations of the same lines:
“You can refuse illegal orders.
“You must refuse illegal orders.”
WATCH:
Democrats Defend the Message
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan pushed back on criticism, claiming Republicans were twisting the intent of the video.
“Some in the administration and media are actively working to distort that message into something dark or divisive,” Houlahan said.
“Let me be absolutely clear: there is nothing more patriotic, nothing more stabilizing and nothing more true to the rule of law than reminding our military of their constitutional obligations and reassuring them that, if they are ever given an unlawful order, they do not have to carry it out.”
Houlahan insisted the message was not rebellion, noting the video’s title: Don’t Give Up the Ship.
“‘Don’t Give Up the Ship’ is not a slogan of rebellion—it is a historic naval motto that has always stood for steadfastness, duty, and loyalty to country,” she said.
A Political Line Crossed?
To conservative critics, the video comes off as a partisan act aimed squarely at delegitimizing Trump’s command authority, especially following the administration’s response to a 43-day government shutdown in which troops continued to receive their pay.
With Democrats using their military résumés to make an unprecedented public appeal directly to service members, the episode underscores the deepening political rift around civil-military relations in the Trump era.
READ MORE – DOJ Insiders Blocked Clinton Investigation While Pushing Anti-Trump Case, Docs Show
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