'Seditious' Democrats react to grand jury indictment decision
Months after President Trump called for the arrest of the "seditious" Democrats who called on military and intelligence personnel to "refuse illegal orders" from the administration, federal prosecution efforts led by D.C. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro have hit a roadblock.
On Tuesday, a grand jury refused to indict Democratic lawmakers involved in the video, the Associated Press reported, citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter.
'Tonight we can score one for the Constitution, our freedom of speech, and the rule of law.'
The Justice Department reportedly opened an investigation into the six members of Congress who appeared in the November "Don't Give Up the Ship" video. Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) complained at the time that this was a form of "intimidation."
RELATED: 'SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR': Trump demands arrest of 'traitor' Democrat congressmen for 'dangerous' video
It was not immediately clear whether prosecutors were pursuing indictments against all six of the lawmakers or what charges they were attempting to bring. Prosecutors, however, could still attempt to secure an indictment against those involved, Fox News reported.
Slotkin was joined by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), and Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) in the video.
Slotkin, who claims to have organized the video, made a lengthy social media post on Tuesday.
"President Trump continues to weaponize our justice system against his perceived enemies," Slotkin said in part. "It’s the kind of thing you see in a foreign country, not in the United States we know and love. No matter what President Trump and Pirro continue to do with this case, tonight we can score one for the Constitution, our freedom of speech, and the rule of law."
Kelly called the investigation an "outrageous abuse of power by Donald Trump and his lackies," adding, "Donald Trump wants every American to be too scared to speak out against him. The most patriotic thing any of us can do is not back down."
Crow posted a minute-long video captioned in part, "We will continue to fight back against their rising tyranny."
Deluzio chimed in: "They may want Americans to be afraid to speak out or to disagree — but patriotism demands courage in this moment. DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP!"
Houlahan called the entire investigation a "distraction": "Today, as we celebrate the win for free speech, I'm putting this distraction behind us and getting back to the real work at hand."
The D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office and the Justice Department did not respond to the AP's request for comment.
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The Trump Administration Defeated The ‘Seditious Six’ By ‘Going On Offense’
The 'Seditious Six' called for a mutiny, and the administration decided to 'go on offense and make them tap-dance a little.''Seditious' Democrat whines: Slotkin cries intimidation after Trump demands arrests for 'refuse illegal orders' video
A member of the so-called "seditious six" has resurfaced to complain about the Trump administration's response to an incendiary viral video posted late last year.
On Wednesday, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) posted a response to the Trump administration's investigations into the Democrat lawmakers who famously directed members of the military and intelligence community to "refuse illegal orders" back in November.
'And right now, speaking out against the abuse of power is the most patriotic thing we can do.'
Slotkin, a former Central Intelligence Agency officer, captioned her latest video, "The intimidation *is the point*. And it’s not going to work."
RELATED: 'SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR': Trump demands arrest of 'traitor' Democrat congressmen for 'dangerous' video
Slotkin claimed that District of Columbia U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro asked to interview her last week in connection with the video she posted with five other Democrats. She said this was "on top of" an FBI counterterrorism investigation that she announced in November.
She said that in response to the video, "the president called for us to be investigated, arrested, and ultimately hanged. He ended up tweeting over a dozen times about that and yesterday, in Michigan, falsely said that I stole my 2024 election."
Slotkin won the 2024 Senate race by a 0.3% margin over former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.).
On Tuesday, President Trump addressed Rogers, who was in the audience at the Detroit Economic Club, saying, "And I think they took that away from you last time. I'll be honest with you, Mike. I really do. I don't like to get things going. I don't like to be controversial at all, but they rigged the election on you. Mine was too big to rig. You were — you won. I'm telling you, you won."
Trump did not clarify who he believes "rigged" that election.
Slotkin claimed that she has received over 100 credible threats, prompting her to heighten security for herself and her family members.
"Now, he's using his political appointees at the FBI and the Department of Justice to follow through with his threats," she continued. "To be clear, this is the president's playbook. Truth doesn't matter. Facts don't matter. And anyone who disagrees with him becomes an enemy, and he then weaponizes the federal government against them.
"It's legal intimidation and physical intimidation meant to get you to shut up. He's used it with our universities, our corporations, our legal community, and with politicians, who falsely believe that doing his bidding and staying quiet will keep them safe."
Slotkin promised not be among them.
Slotkin concluded with a non sequitur and a vague appeal to "values": "Our freedom of speech is worth fighting for. Our values, our core values, are worth fighting for. And right now, speaking out against the abuse of power is the most patriotic thing we can do."
Slotkin was joined by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), and Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) in the original video, which has since garnered over 18 million views.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia did not return Blaze News' request for comment.
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Democrats release mutiny video, admit it’s baseless, then beg for bodyguards when Trump calls them out
On November 18, six Democrat lawmakers with military or intelligence backgrounds — Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) — released a short online video titled “Don’t Give Up the Ship.”
It urged U.S. service members and intelligence personnel to reject “illegal orders” and reminded them that their oath is to the Constitution, not individual leaders. While refusing unlawful commands is aligned with existing military law, the video claimed that “threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home” and accused the Trump administration of “pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens” but provided no evidence or examples of any illegal order.
In interviews following the video release, Crow and Slotkin even admitted that there’s been no illegal order from President Trump or his administration. On November 20, Crow told CNN’s Kasie Hunt, “To be clear, we are not calling on folks right now to disobey any type of unlawful order.” Slotkin followed suit, admitting to ABC’s Martha Raddatz that the insinuation that the Trump administration was issuing illegal orders was completely baseless.
“To my knowledge, I am not aware of things that are illegal," she said.
In other words, they created a video encouraging insurrection by insinuating that illegal orders have been issued, when no such thing has happened.
It’s no surprise, then, that a firestorm of criticism ignited, most notably from President Trump himself, who called it “seditious behavior from traitors” that is “punishable by death.”
Even though sedition is indeed punishable by death under current U.S. federal law and President Trump has explicitly clarified that his Truth Social post was not an execution threat, Democrats are using the scandal they created to play the victim.
“Democrats want to be the victims. That’s their entire reason for existence, is how can I be oppressed today? How can I be a victim today?” says Sara Gonzales, BlazeTV host of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) accused President Trump of “calling for the execution of elected officials” and claimed that he “makes political violence more likely.”
“It’s outrageous. No president has ever stooped as low as Donald Trump. None,” he spat.
“What’s outrageous is members of Congress making videos insinuating that there are illegal orders going on, but not willing to put their name to whatever it is that they’re accusing Donald Trump of doing that is illegal,” Sara retorts, calling the video an attempt to “start a coup in the military.”
“And by the way, you know, it’s so cute that now all of a sudden they have a problem with cheering on death. I seem to recall someone who was wearing the exact same shirt that I am wearing who was assassinated, and they didn’t seem to have a problem with the political violence,” she adds, referencing her white Freedom T-shirt – the same T-shirt Charlie Kirk was wearing when he was murdered.
“So excuse me while I don’t take your outrage seriously, Chuck,” she continues.
But Schumer isn’t the only Democrat playing the victim. Following Trump’s Truth Social posts, several Democrats, especially the ones featured in the “Don't Give Up the Ship” video, contacted Capitol Police and received increased or 24/7 security protection.
But Sara, calling them “failed theater kids,” isn’t having it. “Shut up, you whiny bitches. You are such cowards. You started this.”
To hear more of Sara’s scathing commentary, watch the episode above.
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Pentagon Could Recall Democrat Senator For Court-Martial Over ‘Seditious’ Video
The Department of War announced Monday that it has launched an investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., for his participation in the “Seditious Six” video in which Democrat lawmakers encouraged military members to ignore orders from President Donald Trump, their commander-in-chief. Kelly, a retired Navy captain, could be called back into active duty service in […]Glenn Beck highlights Democrat's damning admission about call for rebellion — and Trump takes notice
Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst, was featured along with five other Democrat lawmakers in a video last week urging the military to "refuse illegal orders" from the Trump administration.
Neither Slotkin nor the other Democrats bothered identifying in the video precisely which orders were illegal. They did, however, insinuate that the administration posed a general threat to the U.S. Constitution.
'To my knowledge, I am not aware of things that are illegal.'
After the commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces took issue with the apparent call for rebellion and identified those responsible as "traitors," the six Democrats began painting themselves as victims.
In the process of attempting to shift attention from her action to the president's reaction, Slotkin made a telling admission that casts the controversial video in a whole new light — namely that she couldn't identify a single "illegal order" from the Trump administration warranting refusal.
The president took notice when Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck explained why this was a "BIG DEAL."
Crying victim
President Donald Trump characterized the apparent call for rebellion as "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL" and noted in a Truth Social post on Saturday that "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!"
'There is now increased threats against us.'
In the wake of Trump's rumblings about possible sedition, the Democrats in the video went on the defensive, reading a similar script.
Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) said, "Donald Trump is threatening me with arrest and execution because I'm upholding my oath to the Constitution and standing with our troops," and suggested that the controversy boiled down to a political disagreement.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) similarly suggested that Trump's response — not his and the other Democrats' apparent call for rebellion — was cause for concern, claiming, "Because of what he says, there is now increased threats against us."
"He should understand that his words have, you know, could have serious, serious consequences," Kelly told CBS News' "Face the Nation," adding that the president's response to potentially seditious implorations was at odds with Republicans' criticism of violent rhetoric in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination.
RELATED: 'SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR': Trump demands arrest of 'traitor' Democrat congressmen for 'dangerous' video
Pennsylvania Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, another Democrat featured in the video, echoed the same talking points and claimed that Trump's response "reveals far more about his authoritarian instincts than it does about anything that we said. In fact, he made our case for us."
Slotkin once again joined the chorus, suggesting in a video statement that Trump "threatened" her and the others with the textbook consequences for sedition "because he didn't agree with a video we put out."
Telling admission
The Michigan Democrat went farther in her Sunday interview with Martha Raddatz of ABC's "This Week," suggesting that Trump was "trying to get us to shut up because he doesn't want to be talking about this," said Slotkin.
'Couldn't you have done a video saying just what you just said?'
Silence may have been to Slotkin's benefit, because she ended up admitting that she issued the call to disobedience without being able to identify a single illegal order handed down by the administration.
— (@)
"There is such things as illegal orders. That's why it's in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, going back to Nuremberg, right? And it's just a — it's a totally benign statement," said Slotkin. "And if the president is concerned about it, then he should stay deeply within the law."
When Raddatz asked whether Trump had issued any illegal orders, the Michigan Democrat said, "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."
"So it was basically a warning to say, like, if you're asked to do something, particularly against American citizens, you have the ability to go to your JAG officer and push back," Slotkin said later in the interview.
Raddatz pressed the issue, asking, "Couldn't you have done a video saying just what you just said? 'If you are asked to do something, if you are worried about whether it is legal or not, you can do this.'"
The host noted that the video as-is "does imply that the president is having illegal orders, which you have not seen."
The Michigan Democrat wasn't the only individual featured in the video who proved unable in recent days to name a single illegal order issued by the administration.
When asked flatly on MSNOW which orders she was telling troops to refuse, Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.) couldn't name one.
When pressed again on CNN whether she or any of the other Democrats in the video have heard tell of illegal orders from service members or the broader national security community, Goodlander tried talking around the question, alluding only to certain service members' alleged "concerns" about the legality of certain orders.
'BIG DEAL'
On Sunday, Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck flagged Slotkin's admission and noted, "Democrats just told our military not to follow 'unconstitutional orders' — while admitting none exist. WHY IS THIS A BIG DEAL? They knew and know, that the message wasn't for our soldiers … it was for the Global leadership."
"If a video like this were aimed at Putin's military, we'd assume Russia was unstable or nearing a coup," continued Beck. "They didn't give good advice, nor weaken Trump. They weakened America — signaling doubt to allies and opportunity to enemies. They are tilling the soil color revolution. Reckless beyond words."
In the post, which President Trump promptly shared on social media without comment, Beck noted that the alleged offense in question is "not treason but a very serious crime under 18 U.S.C. § 2387."
Trump also shared Beck's elaboration on 18 U.S.C. § 2387, in which he noted it is a federal crime to advise, urge, or attempt to cause insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty among members of the U.S. military with the intent to interfere with American military operations.
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'Rebellion'? Democrat lawmakers urge federal agents to resist Trump agenda in cringe video
Despite internal fractures in their own party, Democrats have rallied on one issue: resisting President Donald Trump and his agenda. On Tuesday, a Democrat senator posted a distressing exhortation titled "Don't give up the ship."
The six Democrats in the video, whose shared experience represents intelligence agencies, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force, delivered a forceful message addressed directly to "members of the military and the intelligence community."
'You can refuse illegal orders.'
"Americans trust their military. But that trust is at risk. This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens."
"Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren't just coming from abroad, but from right here at home."
Repeating the statement for effect, they continued, "You can refuse illegal orders."
"No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution. ... But whether you're serving in the CIA, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, your vigilance is critical. And know that we have your back," they said.
They did not identify any allegedly illegal orders issued by President Donald Trump or members of his administration.
The video ended with the final demand: "Don't give up the ship."
Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), and Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) delivered the message.
Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff and homeland security adviser, called out the video on X, saying, "Ten years after the Deep State Russia Hoax, top Democrats openly appeal to CIA and military officials to engage in rebellion against their Commander-in-Chief."
"Do not underestimate how dangerously radicalized the Democrat party has become," Miller added.
Slotkin's post of the video garnered 6.7 million views on X by Wednesday.
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