FBI To Interview Lawmakers In "Illegal Orders" Video
FBI agents are seeking to interview lawmakers who appeared in a video telling members of the military not to obey illegal orders, the lawmakers said on Nov. 25.
The FBI contacted the sergeants at arms for the House of Representatives and Senate, requesting interviews with the lawmakers, Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) said in a joint statement.
“No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our Constitution,” they stated.
“We swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. That oath lasts a lifetime and we intend to keep it. We will not be bullied. We will never give up the ship.”
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), who also participated in the video, said on X that the FBI has “appeared to open an inquiry into” her over the video.
“This isn’t just about a video. This is not the America I know, and I’m not going to let this next step from the FBI stop me from speaking up for my country and our Constitution,” she wrote.
As Zachary Stieber reports for The Epoch Times, The FBI did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
In the video, released on Nov. 18, members said they wanted to speak to service members and people who work in the Intelligence Community. They said that the audience should disobey orders that are illegal. Deluzio said that “you must refuse illegal orders.”
“Your vigilance is critical,” Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) added later. “And know that we have your back,” Slotkin said.
No allegedly illegal orders were specified in the video, and after posting the video, lawmakers have largely declined to list specific examples during television appearances beyond referring to how President Donald Trump has been accused of telling officials in 2020 that they should shoot protesters in the legs.
“If we wait until the moment that he gives a manifestly unlawful order to a young soldier, then we have failed them,” Crow said on CBS over the weekend.
“We have to start that conversation now and get people thinking about the distinction, which is exactly what we did.”
Trump has accused the Democrats of seditious behavior and suggested they should be arrested and charged.
Military officials announced Monday that Kelly, a retired U.S. Navy officer, is under investigation for allegedly violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice and federal law, including one law that bars actions intended to interfere with the “loyalty, morale, or discipline of the military or naval forces of the United States.”
“The video made by the ‘Seditious Six’ was despicable, reckless, and false,” War Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement.
“Encouraging our warriors to ignore the orders of their Commanders undermines every aspect of ‘good order and discipline.’ Their foolish screed sows doubt and confusion—which only puts our warriors in danger.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in Washington that the White House supports the investigation.
“You can’t have a functioning military if there’s disorder and chaos within the ranks—and that’s what these Democrat members were encouraging,” she said.
In an interview that aired on X on Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel said career analysts and agents will make any determination on the Democratic lawmakers who urged members of the military to disobey illegal orders, when asked what his reaction to it was.
"Is there a lawful predicate to open up an inquiry and investigation or is there not? And that decision will be made by the career agents and analysts here at the FBI," Patel said in the interview.
When asked if the FBI was involved, Patel said, "based on the fact that it's an ongoing matter, there's not much I can say."
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