Democratic Lawmakers Push Back on Alleged FBI Investigation After Military Order Statements
Democratic lawmakers who urged American military personnel to disobey unlawful orders are now responding to what they describe as a government investigation into their actions.
Notification of Probe
Democrat Legislator Elissa Slotkin of the state of Michigan announced that the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday notified the half-dozen lawmakers who appeared in last week's video about the examination.
"Any attempt at intimidation or harassment will never stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our founding document," several US House members declared.
Presidential Reaction
Their statement to military members led to President Trump to accuse the Democratic lawmakers of "seditious behavior, carrying capital punishment" and initiated a Pentagon review of "significant claims of improper behavior" against Democrat Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, who also participated in the recording.
The Department of Justice refused to comment on the alleged investigation.
Video Details
The video by Democrats, each of whom have served in the armed forces or intelligence community, was distributed recently by Slotkin and includes Kelly and US Representatives Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan and Jason Crow.
The communication came amid escalating tensions between the Trump administration and the Venezuelan government, as well as Democratic-controlled municipalities resisting Trump's deployment of state military forces to the region.
Federal Bureau Involvement
The senator stated on the following day that the FBI's national security division sent a note to the Congress members to notify them of an alleged investigation into the lawmakers.
"His reaction and the deployment of the FBI against us is exactly why we made the recording," she stated at an event in Michigan.
"He believes in employing the national government against his perceived opponents, and he's not afraid to use the resources of the government against people he disagrees with," she said, describing Trump's behavior as "a scare tactic."
Congressional Reaction
Likewise, Congress members Deluzio, Goodlander, Houlahan and Crow asserted that the President is employing the Federal Bureau as "tool to intimidate and target" legislators, confirming that the FBI reached out to the House and Senate Sergeants at Arms to request interviews.
"We swore an pledge to support and protect the Constitution of the United States. That oath is permanent, and we intend to honor it. We will not be bullied. We will never give up the ship," they declared.
Executive Reaction
The recording - in which Kelly alleged the administration of "pitting our armed forces and security personnel against the American people" - provoked Trump's anger and he suggested on social media that they be detained, imprisoned and hanged.
His comments received bipartisan censure and the president eventually walked back his remarks in a TV interview, explaining that he was "not advocating capital punishment."
Defense Department Response
On Monday, the Pentagon accused the Arizona legislator, a former captain in the Navy and astronaut, of violating armed forces regulations. The defence department said it would conduct a review to determine whether the state senator should be recalled to military service to undergo military judicial process.
Although the senator retired from the military, he is still subject to the military legal code - a national legislation established by the legislature in 1951 that holds members of the military to a unique system of regulations.
Defense Secretary Comment
Defence secretary Pete Hegseth accused the senator of violating the military code and of employing his position and service affiliation as a way to provide "the appearance of authority to his words" in the recording.
He added that Kelly's conduct "casts doubt upon the armed forces and will be addressed properly."
Legislator Kelly's
But the Arizona senator also responded, saying that he has "given significant service to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than defending the Constitution."
Accounts suggested on the following day that the FBI and Department of Justice contacted Capitol Police to schedule interviews with the half-dozen members of Congress.
The Federal Bureau refused to provide statement on that day when contacted by news organizations.