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White house responds after Trump calls for jailing members of Congress
The White House Press Secretary called remarks made by members of Congress "very dangerous" and possibly punishable by law. Hours earlier, President Donald Trump said members of Congress should be arrested and put on trial for "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR" after video directed toward the armed forces about refusing unlawful orders.
(FOX 2) - Responding to a video posted on social media by members of Congress, including U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, President Donald Trump labeled the recording "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR" that's "punishable by DEATH!"
Posting the statement on his Truth Social account, Trump threatened the members of Congress with jail time.
"It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand - We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET. President DJT"
In response to the threats, the targeted members — all Democrats — issued a joint statement saying, "No threat, intimidation, or call for violence will deter us from that sacred obligation."
What they're saying:
The statement, in response to Trump's threats, came from two U.S. Senators and four U.S. Representatives, rebuked the president over his remarks.
"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.
"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.
"In these moments, fear is contagious, but so is courage. We will continue to lead and will not be intimidated.
"Don’t Give Up the Ship!"
The members of Congress include U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Representatives Jason Crow (D-CO-06), Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH-02), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06).
The backstory:
A video posted on social media by Slotkin and five other members of Congress told members of the military "you can refuse illegal orders."
The clip, approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds long, includes various statements from veterans now serving in Congress speaking to the armed forces warning the Trump Administration "is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens."
"You can refuse illegal orders," Slotkin says into the camera. "No one has to carry out orders that violate the law."
It ends with a military phrase saying, "don't give up the ship."
Trump threatens lawmakers
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote Thursday morning: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!"
In a second post, he wrote "It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand - We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET. President DJT"
Slotkin is among the members of Congress who have slammed Trump for attempting to hold onto power.
In late October, she delivered remarks during a gathering at the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology where she warned that Trump was deploying steps from an authoritarian playbook.
The president has been criticized for sending federalizing the National Guard in D.C. as well as attempting to use other states' national guards into cities. The courts have also blocked multiple efforts to expand the deployment in states like Illinois and Oregon.
Schumer: ‘You gotta worry after the president says these things’
Shortly after the White House Press Conference, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer admonished the president and requested the capitol police to provide extra protection to Slotkin and U.S. Senator Mark Kelly.
"I have asked the capitol police to give special protection and keep an eye on Slotkin and Kelly as well, because you gotta worry after a president says these things," Schumer told reporters.
He called the remarks from the president "despicable" saying he is almost "delighting in this kind of dangerous political rhetoric."
Johnson: Comments from Congresspeople ‘wildly inappropriate’
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters the justice department was looking at the "legality of all this."
Johnson said on Thursday "That is a factual statement. What I can address is what everybody knows: that was wildly inappropriate. It is very dangerous. You have leading members of Congress telling troops to disobey orders. I think that's unprecedented in American history.
"I'm going to let others define what it is, but it's wildly inappropriate."
The Source: Social media posts from the president and a statement from members of Congress were cited for this story.