Outrage grows after Trump suggests execution for Democratic lawmakers in military orders dispute
Outrage is mounting this morning after President Donald Trump suggested that six Democratic lawmakers could face execution.
(NBC)- Outrage is mounting this morning after President Donald Trump suggested that six Democratic lawmakers could face execution for posting a video urging members of the U.S. military to refuse what they called “illegal orders.”
In the video, the lawmakers — all veterans of the military or intelligence community — warn that the administration is “pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens,” and stress that service members have a legal obligation to reject unlawful commands.
“Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders,” the lawmakers say in the recording.
President Trump responded on social media, calling their actions “seditious behavior from traitors” and writing “LOCK THEM UP.” He later added, “Seditious behavior, punishable by death!” The president also reposted a comment from someone saying, “Hang them. George Washington would.”
The fallout was swift. Senator Elissa Slotkin, one of the lawmakers featured in the video, said by Thursday evening she had received nearly 1,000 new threats and is now under 24/7 security. “I’m worried about the safety of my staff, of my family, and obviously for myself,” she said.
Senator Mark Kelly, whose wife was nearly assassinated in 2011, also raised concerns about the rhetoric while defending the group’s message. “There is nothing more American than standing up for the Constitution. That’s what we were doing,” he said.
At the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was pressed on whether the president wants to execute members of Congress. “No,” she said, adding that Trump has issued no illegal orders and criticized the Democrats’ message as dangerous.
“The sanctity of our military rests on the chain of command,” Leavitt said. “If that chain of command is broken, it can lead to chaos and people getting killed.”
The war of words continues to escalate, with political tensions at a heightened level in Washington.
