A shocking video released by six Democratic lawmakers urged active-duty service members to refuse what those lawmakers called “illegal orders,” setting off a firestorm in Washington and prompting federal scrutiny. The FBI has begun scheduling interviews with the members of Congress involved as the Justice Department examines whether any laws were broken. This isn’t a political quibble — it is an unprecedented public appeal to break the chain of command from sitting members of Congress.
Those interviews are no small matter: the FBI and DOJ moving to question elected officials over their public conduct reflects the gravity of the act and the national security implications tied to it. Conservative commentators and former officials are rightly alarmed that lawmakers would use their platforms to encourage disobedience among troops. This development demands sober examination, not partisan protectiveness.
The six — including Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin and Reps. Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan, Chris Deluzio, and Maggie Goodlander — all have military or intelligence backgrounds, which makes their message even more toxic. That pedigree gives them credibility with service members, and they used it to push a dangerous narrative that at best confuses young troops and at worst undermines discipline. Americans who love the military should be furious that elected officials would play political games with the very chain of command that keeps our nation safe.
President Trump reacted forcefully, calling the conduct seditious and demanding accountability, while White House spokespeople clarified that his criticism targeted the video, not a literal call for executions. The furious reaction from the administration reflects a wider conservative alarm: this is not normal dissent, it is a direct challenge to the trust between commanders and those who serve. Whatever one thinks of the politics, elected leaders must not manufacture confusion inside our armed forces.
As Rob Schmitt and other conservative voices have pointed out on the air, this type of messaging looks exactly like what an adversary would do to weaken American resolve — lower loyalty and morale, and turn troops into political chess pieces. It’s no accident that commentators across the right are calling it an influence operation dressed up as activism. If Democrats want to play political theater, they should do it on the campaign trail, not inside the ranks of our defense establishment.
Worse still is the pattern we keep seeing: federal institutions pulled into political battles and accusatory headlines about weaponization when conservative priorities are at stake. The line between lawful oversight and partisan prosecution must be watched closely, but so must the line between patriotic duty and reckless rhetoric from a privileged few in power. Congress and the American people should demand real accountability — censure, ethics reviews, and transparent answers — so this kind of reckless endangerment of our service members never becomes routine.
Patriots who respect the flag and the men and women in uniform should stand up now and insist on consequence and clarity. We can defend free speech while also insisting that those privileges do not extend to encouraging the breakdown of military order. Hold the “seditious six” to account, back the troops, and remember that protecting our country means defending its institutions from both foreign enemies and reckless domestic actors.
