The FBI has requested interviews with six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a social media video urging members of the United States military to “defy illegal orders”, according to the legislators.
The statements on Tuesday came a day after the Pentagon said it was reviewing Senator Mark Kelly, a US Navy veteran and one of the six lawmakers, over potential violations of military law.
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President Donald Trump has previously accused the lawmakers of sedition and said in a social media post that the crime is “punishable by DEATH”.
All six of the Democratic lawmakers in the video have served in the military or the intelligence community.
Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, one of the six in the video, told reporters on Tuesday that “the counterterrorism division at the FBI sent a note to the members of Congress, saying they are opening what appears to be an inquiry against the six of us”.
Slotkin called it a “scare tactic” by Trump.
“Whether you agree with the video or don’t agree with the video, the question to me is: Is this the appropriate response for a president of the United States to go after and seek to weaponise the federal government against those he disagrees with?” said Slotkin.
‘Intimidation, harassment’
The lawmakers said their video statements accurately reflected US law. American troops swear an oath to the US Constitution, not the president, and under military rules must follow “any lawful general order or regulation”.
The other Democrats who appeared in the video that was released last week include US Representatives Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan, all military veterans.
“President Trump is using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass Members of Congress,” the four House Democrats said in a joint statement. “Yesterday, the FBI contacted the House and Senate Sergeants-at-Arms requesting interviews.”
They added that “no amount of intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our Constitution”.
There was no immediate comment from Senator Kelly.
The Reuters news agency, citing a Department of Justice official, reported that the FBI interviews were to determine “if there’s any wrongdoing, and then go from there”.
The FBI is headed by Trump appointee Kash Patel.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a memo made public on Tuesday, referred Kelly to the secretary of the Navy for “potentially unlawful comments” made in the video last week. Hegseth said he wanted a brief on the outcome of the review by December 10.
Together, the inquiries by the FBI and the Penta