On Tuesday (Feb. 10), federal prosecutors failed in their bid to indict six Democratic members of Congress who angered President Donald Trump by appearing in and posting a video calling on active-duty members of the military and intelligence agencies to remember their oath to refuse to follow illegal orders.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, brought the indictment claiming that the lawmakers were violating a federal law prohibiting the interference in the morale and discipline of the U.S. armed forces. Her office didn’t respond to requests for comment after the news broke.
The charges stemmed from a video first organized by Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former Central Intelligence Agency analyst, which was released as the Trump administration began to carry out strikes against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and contemplated deploying active-duty troops to curb protests in American cities. “Our laws are clear,” said Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, a former astronaut. “You can refuse illegal orders.”
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The video also featured Representatives Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan, Maggie Goodlander, and Chris Deluzio. Along with Slotkin, each of the Democratic politicians served in either the military or intelligence agencies. The video angered Trump, who took to Truth Social and called their participation “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” He would backpedal in a Fox News interview, saying he wasn’t calling for their execution.
The grand jury’s refusal is another blow to the Department of Justice, which under Trump has been used to pursue questionable criminal cases against those seen as foes of Trump. These include cases against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.
Slotkin released a lengthy statement on X, formerly Twitter, after news of the failed indictment first broke. “Today, it was a grand jury of anonymous American citizens who upheld the rule of law and determined this case should not proceed. Hopefully, this ends this politicized investigation for good,” she wrote.
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