A furious Stephen Miller accused Democrats of stoking “insurrection” and demanded six lawmakers “resign in disgrace” after they urged U.S. troops and intelligence officers to refuse any illegal commands from President Donald Trump.
Miller’s comments came after the half-dozen—all of whom have military or intelligence experience—released a video Tuesday reminding service members that their allegiance is to the Constitution, not the president.
Speaking on Fox News, Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, erupted during an interview with host Will Cain, describing the message as a “general call for rebellion… from the CIA and the armed services.”
“It is insurrection, plainly, directly, without question,” Miller, 40, said, insisting the lawmakers had failed to name any specific unlawful command they feared Trump might give. “These lawmakers should honestly resign in disgrace.”
The lawmakers—dubbed “the shady six” by Fox—made their warning amid concerns that Trump has floated actions that could push the military into an unlawful position.
The six include two senators—Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Mark Kelly of Arizona—as well as Reps. Maggie Goodlander, Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, and Chrissy Houlahan.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche—previously Trump’s personal attorney—denied there was anything “illegal about what President Trump is doing,” and that he was “doing exactly what he said he would do when he won a year ago.”
Blanche, 51, told Fox presenter Sean Hannity that he had found the video “alarming” and a “disgusting and inappropriate display of supposed leadership from the Democrat Party.”
“I felt like I was watching a propaganda video by one of our enemies trying to recruit the military to become spies,” he said.
Insisting that the Democrats in question should be “held to account,” he said that the Department of Justice would take “a close look” at whether they had broken any laws.
In the montage, the lawmakers—who between them served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Navy Reserve, and CIA—say “our laws are clear” and repeat the line “You can refuse illegal orders,” stressing that no one should carry out commands that violate U.S. law or the Constitution.
Slotkin, 49, a former CIA analyst who served multiple tours in Iraq, has also introduced a “No Troops in Our Streets Act” to curb the president’s power to deploy National Guard units into American cities, a move that followed Trump’s use of Guard forces in Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago.
The video comes as Democrats have become increasingly vocal over Trump’s rhetoric on military force, immigration crackdowns, and domestic deployment of troops.
Lawmakers said they were responding to concerns raised by constitutional lawyers and military justice experts who fear Trump could test legal boundaries in areas ranging from domestic surveillance to the use of naval assets.
After Miller posted to X that their behaviour was “insurrection,” Slotkin and Kelly fired back.
Slotkin wrote on X that reminding troops of their duty under the Uniform Code of Military Justice was “the law passed down from our founding fathers,” telling Miller he should “buff up” on military code.
Kelly, 61, a retired Navy captain and former NASA astronaut, posted: “I got shot at serving our country in combat… I know the difference between defending our Constitution and insurrection.”
Miller, 40, dismissed both responses on air. “There is nothing graver… than encouraging, urging, directing members of the Armed Forces… to defy their president,” he said. “The Democratic Party has reached a point of extremism where the only thing they believe is legitimate are the things that keep them in power.”
He went on to claim Trump had acted “lawfully” in all cases, arguing that Democrats had embraced “Third World” tactics and “don’t believe in systems… don’t believe in rules… don’t believe in laws.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Slotkin for comment.
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