Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) found herself in an uncomfortable position Sunday when pressed to identify specific illegal orders from President Donald Trump; orders she had just urged military personnel to disobey.
Slotkin appeared on ABC’s “This Week” to discuss a controversial video she released alongside five other Democratic lawmakers.
The group, all claiming backgrounds in military or intelligence service, recorded a message encouraging active-duty servicemembers to refuse orders they deemed illegal.
The video caught the attention of President Trump, who took to Truth Social Saturday to condemn the message as “sedition at the highest level.” His harsh criticism set the stage for host Martha Raddatz’s pointed questioning of the Michigan senator.
When asked to explain her motivation for creating the video, Slotkin claimed she was responding to concerns from military officers.
She stated that numerous young officers had contacted her expressing uncertainty about their duties.
“I think the reason we put that statement out is because the sheer number of frankly, young officers who are coming to us and saying, ‘I’m not sure, what do I do?’ ‘You know I’m in SOUTHCOM’ and ‘I’m involved in the National Guard, I’m just not sure, what do I do?’” Slotkin said during the interview.
The senator attempted to bolster her position by referencing legal officers within the military.
She claimed Judge Advocate General officers had come forward questioning the legality of certain actions, though she provided no specific examples or documentation.
“We’ve had report after report of legal officer — JAG officers — coming forward and saying, ‘Look, I push back on this. I’m not sure that this is legal,’” Slotkin stated without offering further details.
Slotkin went on to defend the concept of illegal orders, reaching back to historical precedent.
“There is such things [sic] as illegal orders. That’s why it’s in the Uniform Code of Military Justice going back to Nuremberg, right? And it’s just that it’s a totally benign statement and if the president is concerned about it then he should stay deeply within the law, but I think it’s important to know it’s not hypothetical,” she continued.
The discussion then turned to recent military operations that may have prompted the video.
Since Sept. 2, United States military forces have executed multiple strikes against vessels suspected of drug trafficking activities.
One notable incident involved forces sinking a boat carrying 11 members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang, according to the Daily Caller.
Trump designated this organization as a foreign terrorist organization upon taking office on January 20, 2025.
Raddatz pressed the issue directly, asking Slotkin for concrete examples. “Let’s talk right now: do you believe President Trump has issued any illegal orders?” the ABC host demanded.
Slotkin’s response revealed a significant gap between her video’s message and her actual knowledge of illegal orders.
“To my knowledge, I am not aware of things that are illegal, but certainly there are some legal gymnastics that are going on with these Caribbean strikes and everything related to Venezuela,” she answered.
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