Half a dozen Democratic members of Congress now have constant protection from Capitol Police following intense backlash from President Donald Trump regarding their message to armed forces personnel, according to reports.
The situation escalated after Sen. Elissa Slotkin (MN) and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (AZ), alongside Rep. Jason Crow (CO), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (NH), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (PA), and Rep. Chris DeLuzio (PA) distributed a video discussing military members’ rights to decline certain commands.
The president fired back on his Truth Social platform Thursday, describing their conduct as “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”
He subsequently made more posts demanding law enforcement take them into custody.
Trump additionally amplified more than twelve messages from various users, one of which declared “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”
The former CIA operative Slotkin disclosed that she faced hundreds of menacing messages after the president’s declaration, prompting Capitol Police to assign constant monitoring to each legislator for protection.
“Capitol Police came to us and said, ‘We’re gonna put you on 24/7 security.’ We’ve got law enforcement out in front of my house. I mean, it changes things immediately,” the Michigan senator shared with MSNBC.
She anticipated the hostile reaction, observing: “If the president is saying you should be hanged, then we shouldn’t be surprised when folks on the ground are going to follow suit and say even worse.”
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries revealed that party leadership stayed in communication with security officials about the continued intimidation directed at the members.
The Arizona senator drew upon his service experience when responding to the president’s inflammatory language. “I’ve had a missile blow up next to my airplane, been shot at dozens of times by anti-aircraft fire, and launched into orbit — all for my country,” Kelly remarked.
He went on: “I never thought I’d see a President call for my execution. Trump doesn’t understand the Constitution, and we’re all less safe for it.”
All six Democratic legislators maintained their conviction that distributing the video was the proper course of action, releasing a unified declaration Friday reinforcing their message.
Their statement proclaimed: “We are veterans and national security professionals who love this country and swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. No threat, intimidation, or call for violence will deter us from that sacred obligation.”
The group emphasized: “What’s most telling is that the President considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law. Our servicemembers should know that we have their backs as they fulfill their oath to the Constitution and obligation to follow only lawful orders. It is not only the right thing to do, but also our duty.”
They appealed to citizens nationwide: “But this isn’t about any one of us. This isn’t about politics. This is about who we are as Americans. Every American must unite and condemn the President’s calls for our murder and political violence. This is a time for moral clarity.”
The declaration finished: “In these moments, fear is contagious, but so is courage. We will continue to lead and will not be intimidated.” They closed with the historic naval phrase “Don’t give up the ship,” traced back to a dying U.S. Navy commander’s words to his sailors during the War of 1812.
Their video presentation displayed the bipartisan military backgrounds of the group, representing service in the CIA, Air Force, Army, and Navy, as they spoke directly to active duty personnel.
“You must refuse illegal orders,” the members communicated. “No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our constitution.”
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