WASHINGTON — Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin has been notified that the Trump administration is investigating her after she organized and appeared in a video with other Democrats urging military service members to resist “illegal orders.”
Slotkin, a former CIA analyst, said in a video statement released Wednesday that prosecutors were investigating her over the 90-second video she first posted on her X account in November. Slotkin said the office of U.S. Atty. Jeanine Pirro, the Justice Department’s chief prosecutor in the nation’s capital, reached out last week asking to interview her.
“This is the president’s playbook. Truth doesn’t matter. Facts don’t matter. And anyone who disagrees with him becomes an enemy,” Slotkin said. “And he then weaponizes the federal government against them. It’s legal intimidation and physical intimidation meant to get you to shut up.”
Pirro’s office said it would neither confirm nor deny whether an investigation is taking place. Slotkin first disclosed the investigation to the New York Times.
The inquiry marks another escalation in President Trump’s reaction to a video that he and his aides have labeled as “seditious” — an offense Trump said on his social media account was “punishable by death.” Slotkin and the other Democratic lawmakers who participated in the video said in November that the FBI has contacted them to begin scheduling interviews. Pirro’s involvement represents an elevation of the matter for Slotkin.
It is not clear what laws could have been violated in the video message. In it, the lawmakers, all of whom have military and national security experience, tell troops to follow established military protocols by not following commands that defy the law.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has censured Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a former Navy pilot and astronaut, for participating. Hegseth is attempting to retroactively demote Kelly from his retired rank of captain. The senator is suing Hegseth to block those proceedings, calling them an unconstitutional act of retribution.
Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania also appeared in the video. It was not clear whether any other participants are being targeted by Pirro’s office or other arms of the Justice Department beyond the FBI questioning.
Slotkin was among the Democrats’ bright spots in the 2024 election, winning an open Senate seat despite Trump carrying Michigan in the presidential election. She delivered the Democratic response to his congressional address in 2025.
Cappelletti writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.
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