Trump Suggests Hegseth Using ‘Military Courts’ to Probe Dems Over Video
President Donald Trump said this week that the Department of War may be reviewing whether six Democratic lawmakers — all veterans of the military or national security establishment — crossed legal lines after releasing a video that appeared to encourage U.S. service members to second-guess or disregard lawful orders from their commander in chief.
The lawmakers, despite their prior ranks and credentials, delivered a message that many critics say walks dangerously close to undermining civilian control of the military. Their video framed vague and sweeping scenarios in which troops might decide to ignore instructions from their chain of command — including the President of the United States — while insisting such doubt was necessary. The underlying implication: Be ready to disobey.
In the video, Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), along with Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), told military and intelligence personnel that “no one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.”
During an appearance on The Brian Kilmeade Show, President Trump made clear that the matter is being taken seriously.
The president said the six Democrats were in “serious trouble. I’m not threatening death, but I think they’re in serious trouble. In the old days, it was death.”
“I think [Secretary of Defense] Pete Hegseth is looking into it,” Trump continued, later adding: “I know they’re looking into it militarily. I don’t know for a fact, but I think the military is looking into it, the military courts.”
The president also criticized the lawmakers for sowing confusion among younger enlisted troops who rely on clarity, discipline, and a stable chain of command.
“They’re young privates and young corporals and young sergeants. And they’re not scholars, necessarily. There might be a few, frankly, but they’re not scholars. They don’t, you know, study the Constitution, etc, etc. They know that. So, these are bad people. These are people that, in my opinion, broke the law. Now, what happens to them? I can’t tell you, but they broke the law. That is a terrible statement,” Trump said.
“If I ever said that, and there were a Democrat as president, all hell would have broken loose,” he added. “And it has broken loose. I have had more calls from people, even Democrats, saying, What a horrible thing that was.”
Kilmeade later posed a hypothetical: What if a sailor aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford refused deployment orders, or a Guardsman declined an assignment in Chicago because a politician encouraged disobedience?
Trump dismissed concerns that such scenarios would occur under his leadership.
“No, I don’t worry about anything like that, because I’m a leader, and they do as I say. But it certainly is not a good situation. You know, it could happen with certain leaders. It could happen. I don’t think that’d happen with me, but, you know, you never know. Look, that was a very terrible— that was a traitorous statement, that was a horrible thing to do. I believe they broke the law very strongly. I think it’s a very— I think it’s a very serious violation of the law,” Trump said.
He reiterated: “Well, I think Pete Hegseth is looking into it, too. I know they’re looking into it militarily. I don’t know for a fact, but I think the military is looking into it, the military courts.”
Over the weekend, Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin — a former CIA operative featured in the video — appeared to retreat from the group’s insinuations during an interview with ABC’s Martha Raddatz. But when asked directly whether President Trump has ever issued a single illegal order, she offered no clear answer.
Slotkin responded:
“So I think the reason we put that statement out is because the sheer number of frankly, young officers who are coming to us and saying I just I’m not sure what do I do. You know I’m in south calm and I’m involved in the National Guard. I’m just not sure what do I do and I think look you don’t take my word for it. We’ve had report after report of legal officer, jag officers coming forward and saying look. I push back on this. I’m not sure that this is legal. There is such things as illegal orders.”
Pressed again, Slotkin continued to deflect, pointing to decades-old precedents rather than any action taken by the current president.
“That’s why it’s in the uniform code of military justice going back in nuremberg right and it’s just that it’s a totally benign statement and if the president is concerned about it than he should stay deeply within the law.”
Slotkin’s evasiveness did little to quiet criticism from military families, veterans, and constitutional scholars who argue that these Democratic lawmakers crossed a bright line by publicly encouraging doubt in the chain of command during a period of heightened global threats.