Democrat Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) is facing mounting criticism after appearing in a video that encouraged U.S. service members to launch a military coup against President Donald Trump.
The message, which called on troops to ignore “illegal orders,” was widely considered an act of sedition and interpreted as a direct challenge to Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Slotkin, a former CIA analyst, joined five Democrat lawmakers with military backgrounds in the video, which strongly implied that unlawful or improper orders either were being issued or soon would be.
The group of Democrats in the video earned the name “Seditious Six” over the controversy.
During a recent interview, instead of walking back the message, Slotkin defended the video by suggesting that active-duty troops and military families had pressed her to make it.
Slotkin: Service Members Asked What to Do About “Illegal” Orders
“I mean, we made that video three weeks ago or whatever it was, certainly not thinking that the president would go high and right as we say at the Pentagon on it like that,” Slotkin said, implying that Trump’s response was the problem, not the content of the video itself.
Slotkin claimed she and others involved were responding to what she called an overwhelming number of inquiries from active-duty troops, recent veterans, and military families.
“There was so many people coming to us who were on active duty, recent veterans, family members of service members, who were coming to us individually and saying two things,” she said.
She said the first concern was that troops believed they might be deployed to American cities to take action they viewed as unlawful.
“One, ‘I’m concerned I’m going to be sent in uniform to an American city — you know, like L.A., Chicago, Memphis — and I’m going to be asked to do things I either don’t think are legal, or I’m not trained for, and what do I do?’”
Slotkin then claimed those concerns escalated with ongoing anti-cartel operations in the Caribbean.
“‘I don’t know if this is legal?
“I don’t know if I’d be held accountable later after this administration.
“I can’t get a straight answer about whether this is legal or not.
“What do you think we should do?’”
“We were hearing that for months,” Slotkin added.
“So that’s why we made the video.”
WATCH:
Elissa Slotkin claims Democrats made the ‘illegal orders’ video because a slew of military personnel were coming to them with concerns for months:
“I don't know if this is legal. I don't know if I'd be held accountable later after this administration. I can't get a straight… pic.twitter.com/Fe2AMPvMRg
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) December 8, 2025
Kelly Faces Scrutiny Under UCMJ
Meanwhile, Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), who also participated in the video, is drawing additional scrutiny because he is the only retired service member in the group.
He is therefore still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), which places limits on political speech, undermining the chain of command.
The video’s message has ignited a backlash among conservatives, veterans groups, and legal scholars who argue that urging troops to second-guess the chain of command, especially while singling out President Trump, risks eroding military discipline and crossing constitutional lines.
READ MORE – Joy Behar Compares American Soldiers Who Follow Trump’s Orders to Nazis: ‘Not a Defense’
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