(Washington, D.C.) U.S. President Donald Trump has lashed out at Democratic lawmakers who urged the U.S. military to refuse any illegal orders, calling them traitors and potentially facing the death penalty.
Six Democratic lawmakers with military or intelligence service experience released a video on Tuesday (November 18) accusing Trump of pitting military and intelligence professionals against American citizens and of ordering the military to refuse to carry out illegal government orders.
They did not specify which orders they were referring to, but Trump had previously ordered the National Guard into several U.S. cities to control what he called riots.
On Thursday (November 20), Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform: “This is terrible. This is very dangerous for our country. Their rhetoric cannot be tolerated. Traitorous sedition!!! Lock them up!!!”
He later added: “Sedition should be punishable by death!”
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Trump also retweeted a message urging him to "hang" these Democratic lawmakers, saying that the first president, George Washington, would have done the same.
This immediately drew criticism from Democrats, who said he was making an extremely egregious threat against six lawmakers.
The six Democratic lawmakers who posted the video vowed not to be intimidated by Trump's threats. They insisted they were "veterans and national security experts who love this country" and had sworn to defend the U.S. Constitution.
White House Press Secretary Calvert-Kall said Thursday that the president does not want to see members of Congress executed. But she also criticized the Democratic lawmakers' actions, saying they "encouraged and incited violence."
