House Democrats Call Capitol Police in Response to Trump's 'Seditious Behavior' Allegation

Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill escalated tensions Thursday after revealing they had contacted Capitol Police in response to President Donald J. Trump condemning a video produced by six Democratic lawmakers — a video that openly encourages military and intelligence personnel to defy the commander in chief.

The lawmakers’ message, released Tuesday, featured Sens. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Mark Kelly of Arizona, along with Reps. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, and Jason Crow of Colorado. Each identified themselves as veterans or former intelligence officials before urging service members to reject presidential directives they personally deem unlawful.

“We want to speak directly to members of the military and intelligence community,” the group said, before launching into an unprecedented warning. “This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens … Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home. Our laws are clear; you can refuse illegal orders. … You must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.”

The video offered no examples of President Trump issuing illegal orders. Instead, it implied that the president’s lawful efforts to address surging crime in major cities — including the deployment of National Guard units — were somehow unconstitutional. Democrats have repeatedly sued to block these deployments, and while lower courts have occasionally ruled in their favor, appellate courts have consistently affirmed the president’s authority, just as Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and George H.W. Bush exercised before him.

President Trump blasted the video in a series of Truth Social posts, calling out the alarming precedent of lawmakers encouraging mutiny within the military chain of command. “It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL,” Trump wrote.

He continued: “Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand — We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET. President DJT.”

In another post, he added, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, along with Minority Whip Katherine Clark and caucus chair Pete Aguilar, fired back with a joint statement claiming the president had endangered the six lawmakers. “We have been in contact with the House Sergeant at Arms and the United States Capitol Police to ensure the safety of these Members and their families,” the statement read.

“Donald Trump must immediately delete these unhinged social media posts and recant his violent rhetoric before he gets someone killed,” they said.

The Detroit News later reported that Slotkin had been assigned 24/7 police protection after receiving “hundreds” of death threats following the video and Trump’s public response.

At Thursday’s press briefing, a reporter asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt whether the president was calling for the execution of members of Congress. Leavitt rejected the claim outright.

“No,” she said, explaining that President Trump was responding to “sitting members of the United States Congress who conspired together to orchestrate a video message to members of the United States military, to active duty service members, to members of the national security apparatus, encouraging them to defy the president’s lawful orders.”

Leavitt warned that encouraging insubordination inside the armed forces strikes at the heart of American stability. “The sanctity of our military rests on the chain of command. And if that chain of command is broken, it can lead to people getting killed. It can lead to chaos,” she said.

She concluded by calling the video a “very, very dangerous message” — one that “perhaps is punishable by law.”

In a capital already defined by leaks, lawfare, and deep-state sabotage, six Democratic lawmakers openly urging defiance of presidential orders represents a new red line. And President Trump, now deep into his second term, is signaling that the era of the Beltway’s untouchable elite may finally be over.