President Donald Trump’s administration has failed to indict six Democratic lawmakers over a public service announcement in which they urged members of the military and intelligence communities to “refuse illegal orders.”
The effort was led by U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro, who sought charges against Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan, New Hampshire Rep. Maggie Goodlander, and Colorado Rep. Jason Crow for a video posted on social media on Nov. 18. A grand jury rejected the charges.
Slotkin responded on X, calling it “another sad day for our country,” and argued the episode reflected an attempt to weaponize the justice system against political opponents.
In the viral video, the members of Congress — all veterans of the military or intelligence community — addressed their peers directly.
“We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now,” they said, adding that public trust in the military was at risk and emphasizing their shared oath to defend the Constitution.
They continued: “Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home. Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.”
The message aligned with the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which requires service members to obey lawful orders and refuse illegal ones.
Trump responded with a series of social media posts that some characterized as threatening the lawmakers. In one, he called their actions “seditious behavior” and said they should be arrested and put on trial. In another post, he wrote that “seditious behavior” was “punishable by death,” and he later shared a supporter’s message calling for the lawmakers to be hanged.
Trump later denied he was calling for violence. Appearing on The Brian Kilmeade Show on Nov. 21, he said he was “not threatening them,” but claimed they were “in serious trouble” and insisted, in his view, they had broken the law.
Slotkin later said on MSNBC that she and the other lawmakers received increased security, describing 24/7 protection and law enforcement presence at her home.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also threatened to punish Kelly by seeking to downgrade his retirement rank as a Navy captain, a matter a federal judge is expected to rule on in the coming days. Kelly, who also received a formal letter of censure from Hegseth for his role in the video, said this week that Americans should not be intimidated into silence.
“That’s not the way things work in America,” Kelly said. “Donald Trump wants every American to be too scared to speak out against him. The most patriotic thing any of us can do is not back down.”
