Six Democratic lawmakers who served in either the military or the intelligence community are reminding their still-serving counterparts in a short online video that they are obligated to refuse illegal orders.
The stark message, posted on Tuesday, was organized by Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former C.I.A. analyst who served multiple tours in Iraq. The lawmakers took turns reading a statement in which they cautioned that the “threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home.”
“Our laws are clear,” said Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, a Navy veteran and former astronaut. “You can refuse illegal orders.”
“You must refuse illegal orders,” added Representative Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, who also served in the Navy.
The Democratic lawmakers’ message did not focus on a specific order or scenario. “We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now,” they said. “This administration is pitting our uniform military and intelligence community against American citizens.”
Ms. Slotkin has repeatedly raised concerns, most notably during a hearing this summer with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, that President Trump might deploy active-duty U.S. military troops to American cities to quell protests.
She reminded Mr. Hegseth that one of his predecessors, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, wrote in his memoir that he had been asked by Mr. Trump during his first term why the military could not “just shoot” protesters in Washington in the legs.
Mr. Hegseth laughed and suggested that the scenario Mr. Esper outlined was implausible.
In an interview with The New York Times, Ms. Slotkin said that she had heard from active-duty troops who were concerned about the legality of strikes that have targeted people accused by the Trump administration of trafficking narcotics by sea. Some wondered whether they could be held personally liable for the deaths, she said.
“There’s a real issue there of morale and a feeling like they don’t have a lot of senior leaders who are protecting them,” Ms. Slotkin said. “There’s a lot of folks in the rank and file who feel very alone.”
Mr. Kelly raised similar concerns in an interview with NBC about the fate of sailors, airmen and Marines involved in the 20 strikes on boats in the Caribbean. “What does this mean for their future if they find out later that they did this without legal justification?” he asked. “It puts them in legal jeopardy at some point.”
The video drew a sharp response from Trump administration officials, who charged that it was encouraging the military to rebel against its commander in chief.
“Democrat lawmakers are now openly calling for insurrection,” Stephen Miller, President Trump’s deputy chief of staff, wrote on social media.
Senator Eric Schmitt, Republican of Missouri, said in another social media post that the Democratic lawmakers were “mad the American people chose Trump” and were “calling on the Military and Intelligence Community to intervene.”
Some analysts questioned whether the Democratic lawmakers’ video was necessary. “The Constitution gives Congress a lot of power and responsibility,” said Peter Feaver, a political science professor at Duke University who studies the military and its relationship to its civilian leaders. “It is troubling that Congress is not using the full extent of its power to probe the legal foundations of the president’s policies.”
But Ms. Slotkin said that she and her Democratic colleagues had pressed the Trump administration repeatedly for assurances that they would follow the law and had often been dismissed.
“I feel I’ve been a one-note song on these issues from the moment I entered the Senate, and they do not respond,” Ms. Slotkin said.
The other lawmakers in the video are Representative Jason Crow of Colorado, a former Army Ranger; Representative Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, a former Navy reservist; and Representative Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, a former Air Force officer.
Greg Jaffe covers the Pentagon and the U.S. military for The Times.
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