The line between irresponsible speech and mutiny is very thin, and six members of Congress were perilously close this week to crossing it. It doesn’t have to be a dramatic mutiny like Mutiny on Bounty. A video calling for U.S. troops can also work. Military personnel should defy their commander-in-chief’s “illegal orders”.
Six Democrats from the U.S. Congress, all of whom have served in the military or as intelligence officers, released an astonishing video on Tuesday calling for troops to reject what they interpreted to be illegal orders by President Donald Trump. It was a production that had the look and feel of a CIA-style psychological operation. The purpose of the production was to create doubt in the ranks, and make the servicemen question the legitimacy or the orders that were given through the chain. If you want to undermine confidence in the administration, then this is how you do it.
Sens. Mark Kelly (D AZ), Elissa Slotkin (D AZ), who organized this effort, along with Reps. Chris Deluzio(D PA), Maggie Goodlander(D NH), Chrissy Houlahan(D PA), and Jason Crow.
They read out loud from a prepared declaration and told the viewers: “We know that you are currently under tremendous stress and pressure. Americans have faith in their military. “But that trust is under threat.”
They continued, “This administration is pitting uniformed military and professionals from the intelligence community against American citizens,” an apparent reference to Trump using the National Guard as a protection for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol Agents whose efforts have been increasingly obstructed violently by protesters to enforce U.S. Immigration Law.
They said, “Like us you all took an oath of protection and defense to this Constitution.” “Right away, threats to our Constitution don’t come from abroad. They are coming right from home.”
They noted that “our laws are clear.”
They repeated the phrase “You can reject illegal orders” twice before changing it to “You must resist illegal orders”.
They insisted that “no one must carry out orders which violate our Constitution or the law,” while acknowledging that it is a “difficult time” to be a government employee.
Slotkin’s parting words of the psyop were delivered in a final flourish: “Don’t give up.”
Stephen Miller, adviser to Trump on X and , did not mince his words when he responded : “Democrat legislators are now openly calling insurrection.”
In an interview with Fox News reporter Will Cain, he expanded on this comment, saying “It’s insurrection. Plainly and directly. It is a fact. The Democrat legislators are calling for a rebellion against the CIA, the armed forces of the United States and saying that it is not only your right, but also your duty to disobey the orders of the commander-in-chief.”
This is the conclusion that many Americans would reach if they were to watch this show.
The video’s deliberate vagueness was perhaps the most striking feature. The video did not provide any specifics, other than accusing the Trump Administration of “pitting uniformed professionals from our military and intelligence communities against American citizens”.
Slotkin, after a swift and intense backlash against the video, posted footage of an old House Hearing on Facebook in which she condemned the suggestion Trump allegedly gave to former War Sec. Mark Esper regarding how to stop violent protesters during the George Floyd 2020 riots. stated that this was not a hypothetical scenario. During 2020 protests, President Trump asked the 82nd airborne to be sent to Washington, D.C. to, as he put it, “shoot them on the legs.” ‘”
Axios stated Esper made this allegation in 2022, an allegation Trump has denied. Esper claims that during the 2020 Washington, D.C. protests, Trump asked, “Can’t You Just Shoot Them?” “Can’t you just shoot them in their legs?”
Slotkin portrayed it, however, as an undisputed fact and an “order” explicitly from the commander-in-chief.
In her Wednesday evening monologue, Fox News’ Laura Ingraham stated that these lawmakers were “playing with one of our country’s gravest outcomes: a military coup or uprising against a duly-elected president.”
Ingraham showed a clip of a speech Slotkin gave last month at Brookings Institution, in which she said that Trump was “following the playbook of nearly every authoritarian throughout history.”
She added, “From what we’ve seen thus far, including the Caribbean attacks, the list domestic terrorists and the military and law enforcement deployments on our American streets, it seems that he is laying the foundation for his stay in power.”
She speculated that “Elections could be cancelled, or if they do happen, he can surround polling stations with military and law-enforcement to intimidate the voters,” adding that “Trump could make it impossible for Democrats fundraise.”
But I digress. It was actually former president Barack Obama that weaponized the IRS in order to intimidate conservatives.
Slotkin’s assertions are absurd. They are part of the psyop to portray Trump as an insane power-hungry man who is desperately trying to hold on to power. It is actually the Democrats who have a fixation on regaining power. They’ve made it clear that they’ll do anything to accomplish this goal.
Ingraham said that if any member of Congress believes Trump issued an illegal order they should be prepared to name the specific statute they believe he broke.
It was also irresponsible for these Democrats, and possibly dangerous to create this video. It is not illegal to dislike an order, but suggesting that Trump’s executive orders are unlawful can lead to serious problems for many servicemen.
Streiff is a retired Army Infantry Officer who works for RedState. Last week, Streiff responded in a particularly insightful way to a PBS story that claimed military officers were “lawyering” up over Trump’s order.
He said that any order given by a superior, as long as it is related to military duties, will be presumed legal.
Streiff explained, “You can’t demand to be provided with a legal opinion. You don’t have the right to even do that theatrical thing of ‘give me it in writing’.”
In the worst-case scenario, you could be facing a life in prison if a servicemember refuses to follow an order later found to be legal. In a worst case scenario, you could face a life sentence in prison.
Streiff said that the legal standard to refuse a military order was a “high hurdle to clear.” He concluded, “The bottom-line, consulting an attorney is not, either blowing the drug cartel ships or invading Venezuela is not going give you an out.” You should have the courage to tell your boss that you are not going to comply with his orders.
This video’s release was reckless in every way. This video shows how Democrats’ obsession to destroy Trump has distorted their judgement. Not just the message, but also the mentality that created it should be of concern to the public. A mindset where hostility has trumped reason.
