Overview
- Sen. Elissa Slotkin posted a viral video featuring six Democratic lawmakers with military or intelligence backgrounds urging service members and intelligence officials to refuse illegal orders, without citing specific directives.
- White House adviser Stephen Miller denounced the clip as a call for insurrection and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth dismissed it as “Stage 4 TDS,” while Rep. Chrissy Houlahan said it was a lawful reminder of constitutional obligations.
- Sen. Lindsey Graham said he would demand the lawmakers identify which orders they believe are unlawful, reflecting GOP calls for concrete examples.
- The video coincides with Democratic bills to curb the president’s authority to deploy the National Guard in U.S. cities and to restrict strikes on suspected drug traffickers, policies the lawmakers have criticized.
- CNN notes the Uniform Code of Military Justice requires following only lawful orders and reports ongoing legal questions about Caribbean boat strikes, including at least 83 deaths since September and reliance on a Justice Department legal opinion.