Washington, Nov 25 (LatestNewsX) – A media report released on Tuesday says the FBI is seeking interviews with six Democratic lawmakers who, in a recent video, urged U.S. military personnel to disobey any orders they felt were unlawful.
The move is expected to heighten the already‑tense standoff between the Trump administration and Congress over civilian control of the armed forces. The lawmakers—Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, and Representatives Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan—posted the clip last week after critics of the administration warned that the executive was pressuring the military to undertake actions that might breach federal law.
On Tuesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth sharpened his criticism, labeling the video a “politically motivated influence operation” that could erode military discipline. In a post on X, he explained that while the message may appear harmless to civilians, it carries a different weight within the armed forces, arguing that the lawmakers had recast obedience “around partisan distrust instead of established legal processes.” Hegseth also noted that the failure to point to a specific illegal order “created ambiguity rather than clarity” and described the video’s language as “carefully scripted” to look legally authoritative.
The Pentagon has warned that Kelly, a retired Navy captain, could be recalled to active duty to face charges under the U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Slotkin, a former CIA officer, and the other four lawmakers served in the military but are not retired, so they are not subject to the UCMJ. Kelly dismissed the Pentagon’s threat as intimidation, telling followers on X that any attempt to silence U.S. lawmakers would not succeed and that he had “given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”
The clip surfaced amid growing tension over President Trump’s orders authorizing strikes on vessels in international waters suspected of transporting drug traffickers. Democrats have questioned the legality of those operations, while the Pentagon counters that the targeted smugglers qualify as terrorists. Trump himself has denounced the six lawmakers on his Truth Social platform, calling for their arrest and prosecution for “seditious behaviour,” and adding, “punishable by DEATH!” The administration’s decision to deploy National Guard troops to cities run by Democrats has also drawn sharp criticism, with leaders arguing that it signals a broader trend of politicizing the military.
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