Retired Gen. Jack Keane didn’t mince words on America’s Newsroom when he called the Democrats’ recent appeal to military and intelligence personnel “disgraceful,” irresponsible and reckless. Keane joined the program to discuss not only the dangerous theater unfolding in Washington but also how fragile geopolitics — like the Ukraine-Russia talks — demand steady leadership, not grandstanding.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin led a short video with five other Democrats urging servicemembers and intelligence officers to “refuse illegal orders” and to “don’t give up the ship,” a stunt that instantly ignited a political firestorm. The clip, released under the guise of protecting the Constitution, was explicitly framed as a message to rank-and-file troops and intelligence professionals — and the media circus that followed has now made a precarious situation worse.
Conservative leaders and military professionals are right to be alarmed: the chain of command is sacred, and efforts to weaponize our armed forces for partisan ends are dangerous. Keane’s rebuke was not partisan theater; it was a sober reminder that elected officials should not be coaching insubordination on camera while pretending patriotism is their motive. The Democrats who filmed this clip are playing with fire and with the lives of the men and women who wear the uniform.
President Trump’s response escalated the controversy, blasting the lawmakers as traitors and demanding accountability in the strongest terms — language that has its own perils but is itself a reaction to a provocative act that targeted the military’s loyalty. Democrats, for their part, defended the video as a reaffirmation of troops’ duty to refuse unlawful orders, but the stunt was reckless precisely because it blurred legal nuance into political agitation. The result is chaos: threats, hyperbole, and a divided public staring at our military instead of supporting it.
This isn’t a debate about abstract principles; it’s about national security. Keane tied these theatrics to real-world consequences, warning that undermining the commander-in-chief’s authority when the nation is negotiating peace or managing foreign crises only weakens America’s negotiating hand and sows confusion where clarity is essential. If Democrats want a serious conversation about oversight or limits on domestic deployments, there are lawful, constitutional ways to pursue it — not viral videos that invite unrest.
Enough of the performative politics. Congress should be defending the integrity of the military and the rule of law rather than producing propaganda that encourages confusion in uniformed ranks. Gen. Keane spoke plainly for millions of Americans who want a disciplined, nonpoliticized force; lawmakers who trade on fear and spectacle should be held to account by voters and colleagues alike.
