President Donald Trump continued to condemn a recent video from Democratic veterans in Congress, but stopped short of suggesting their message was “punishable by death” as he did before.
Trump received backlash for his previous response to a video directed at military members from Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA). In the video, the members say that active military members should “refuse illegal orders.” The president initially implied that these members were guilty of “seditious behavior, punishable by death” on Thursday, but adopted a milder tone on Saturday.
“THE TRAITORS THAT TOLD THE MILITARY TO DISOBEY MY ORDERS SHOULD BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW, NOT ROAMING THE FAKE NEWS NETWORKS TRYING TO EXPLAIN THAT WHAT THEY SAID WAS OK. IT WASN’T, AND NEVER WILL BE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “IT WAS SEDITION AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL, AND SEDITION IS A MAJOR CRIME. THERE CAN BE NO OTHER INTERPRETATION OF WHAT THEY SAID!”
“MANY GREAT LEGAL SCHOLARS AGREE THAT THE DEMOCRAT TRAITORS THAT TOLD THE MILITARY TO DISOBEY MY ORDERS, AS PRESIDENT, HAVE COMMITTED A CRIME OF SERIOUS PROPORTION!” Trump added.
Crow released a series of threats his office received via telephone following Trump’s post. Other Democratic senators also condemned Trump’s previous post. Among them were Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), and Seth Moulton (D-MA), who are all also veterans. However, they did not appear in the video that sparked Trump’s comments and did not comment publicly on the message sent by their fellow veterans.
JASON CROW RELEASES AUDIO OF ‘ACTUAL THREATS’ SINCE TRUMP SINGLED OUT DEMOCRATS FOR ‘SEDITION’
Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) were the only Democratic veterans in Congress to both publicly support the video and condemn Trump’s comments.
The video featured a minority of veterans among Democratic lawmakers. There are 28 Democratic veterans currently serving in Congress.
