Democratic Legislators Respond on Reported FBI Investigation After Military Command Statements
Democrat legislators who encouraged American troops to ignore illegal commands are now reacting to what they call a government investigation into their actions.
Notification of Probe
Democratic Legislator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan announced that the FBI on Monday notified the half-dozen lawmakers who were featured in recent video about the examination.
"Any attempt at pressure or targeting will never stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our founding document," four Congressional representatives stated.
Executive Response
Their message to military members led to President Trump to allege the Democrats of "treasonous conduct, punishable by death" and initiated a Defense Department review of "significant claims of misconduct" against Democrat Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, who likewise appeared in the video.
The Department of Justice declined to comment on the reported probe.
Video Details
The video by Democratic officials, each of whom have worked in the military or national security sector, was distributed last week by the Michigan senator and features Kelly and Congress members Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan and Jason Crow.
The communication emerged amid increasing tensions between the current administration and the government of Venezuela, as well as Democrat-led cities resisting Trump's deployment of state military forces to the area.
FBI Participation
Slotkin said on the following day that the Federal Bureau of Investigation's national security division delivered a note to the legislators to notify them of an reported inquiry into the lawmakers.
"The President's response and the use of the Federal Bureau against us is precisely why we made the video," she stated at an gathering in Michigan.
"He believes in using the national government against his perceived opponents, and he's not afraid to utilize the resources of the administration against people he opposes," she commented, describing Trump's behavior as "intimidation."
Legislative Response
Likewise, US representatives Deluzio, Goodlander, Houlahan and Crow said that the President is employing the FBI as "tool to intimidate and harass" legislators, verifying that the FBI reached out to the Congressional security officials to arrange interviews.
"We swore an pledge to support and protect the founding document of the United States of America. That commitment is permanent, and we intend to honor it. We will not be bullied. We will never surrender our principles," they declared.
Presidential Reaction
The video - in which the Arizona senator accused the administration of "pitting our armed forces and security professionals against American citizens" - drew the President's ire and he suggested on online platforms that they be detained, imprisoned and hanged.
His words received cross-party condemnation and the president ultimately retracted his statements in a TV interview, explaining that he was "not advocating death."
Pentagon Action
On the start of the week, the Defense Department accused Senator Kelly, a former captain in the US Navy and astronaut, of breaching military law. The military leadership said it would perform a review to determine whether the Arizona lawmaker should be returned to military service to undergo military judicial process.
Although Kelly retired from the armed forces, he is still bound by the military legal code - a national legislation established by the legislature in 1951 that subjects members of the armed forces to a unique system of rules.
Military Leader Statement
Defence secretary Pete Hegseth accused Kelly of violating the military code and of employing his rank and military background as a way to lend "the impression of legitimacy to his statements" in the video.
He continued that Kelly's conduct "brings discredit upon the armed forces and will be handled properly."
Senator Kelly's
But the Arizona senator likewise pushed back, stating that he has "devoted too much to this nation to be intimidated by bullies who care more about their own authority than defending the founding document."
Accounts suggested on the following day that the FBI and Department of Justice contacted Congressional security to schedule meetings with the six members of Congress.
The Federal Bureau declined to provide statement on Tuesday when contacted by media outlets.