The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice have contacted Capitol Police to schedule interviews with the six members of Congress who featured in a controversial video urging service members to ignore orders they may deem illegal, according to Fox News. This follows the release of a video by a group of Democratic lawmakers with military and intelligence backgrounds, including Senators Elissa Slotkin, Mark Kelly, and others, encouraging service members to refuse illegal orders.
President Donald Trump responded strongly to the video, calling the lawmakers guilty of seditious behavior, a term punishable by death. The Department of War has also opened a formal review into allegations of misconduct against Senator Mark Kelly, potentially leading to actions under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Four of the other Democrats are former military personnel, not retired, and therefore not subject to UCMJ, while Slotkin is a former CIA officer.
Retired General Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of War, criticized the video as a ‘politically-motivated influence operation,’ arguing that it undermines trust within the military and creates hesitation in the chain of command. He emphasized that the military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders and that political actors should not inject doubt into this established chain of, stating, ‘The @DeptofWar won’t fall for it or stand for it.’
A Fox News report highlighted that the video used ‘carefully scripted, legal-sounding language,’ and argued that the lawmakers ‘subtly reframed military obedience around partisan distrust instead of established legal processes.’ The controversy has sparked significant political and legal discourse, with the FBI and DOJ’s involvement indicating a serious concern about the potential implications of the video’s message.