Trump Says Democrats Who Urged Military to Refuse Orders ‘Should Be in Jail’

Washington: Former US President Donald Trump said late Saturday that six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a video urging military officers to refuse illegal commands “should be in jail.”

Trump’s remarks followed his earlier accusations on Friday that the Democrats’ actions amounted to “seditious behavior, punishable by death.”

The six lawmakers, all of whom have served in the military or intelligence community, include Mark Kelly (Arizona), Elissa Slotkin (Michigan), Jason Crow (Colorado), Chris Deluzio (Pennsylvania), Chrissy Houlahan (Pennsylvania), and Maggie Goodlander (New Hampshire).

In a social media post Saturday night, Trump wrote:
“The traitors that told the military to disobey my orders should be in jail right now, not roaming the fake news networks trying to explain that what they said was ok.”

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He described the Democrats’ message as “sedition at the highest level” and said there could be no other interpretation. The video, posted on Friday, called on the military to refuse illegal orders, though it did not specify which orders.

Trump has previously ordered National Guard deployments in multiple US cities and military strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, actions that experts say may have been legally questionable. He has also previously alluded to the death penalty in political contexts.

Democrats condemned Trump’s statements as “absolutely vile” threats against the six lawmakers.