WASHINGTON, D.C. (LOOTPRESS) – White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that President Trump does not want to execute members of Congress who urged the military not to follow unlawful orders, but that he wants to see them “held accountable.”
Trump had earlier responded to a video made by six Democrats with military and intelligence backgrounds, calling it “seditious behavior from traitors” and later posting, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”
“Does the president want to execute members of Congress?” a reporter asked Leavitt.
“No,” Leavitt said. “Many in this room want to talk about the president’s response, but not what brought the president to responding in this way.”
Leavitt disputed that the president had given any illegal orders and accused the lawmakers of inciting violence.
“To suggest and encourage that active duty service members defy the chain of command is a very dangerous thing for sitting members of Congress to do,” Leavitt added. “And they should be held accountable. And that’s what the president wants to see.”
The video featured Sens. Elissa Slotkin (Mich.) and Mark Kelly (Ariz.), and Reps. Jason Crow (Colo.), Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.), Chris Deluzio (Pa.) and Maggie Goodlander (N.H.), all of whom have served in the military or as intelligence officers.
While the lawmakers did not point to any particular action by the White House, the video comes as the Trump administration has carried out deadly strikes in the Caribbean and blown up boats it has accused of ferrying drugs.
The administration has not provided evidence to back its claims, and law enforcement typically interdicts boats suspected of drug activity.
Lawmakers also raised concerns about the deployment of National Guard troops in American cities.
In response to Trump’s posts, the six Democratic lawmakers issued a joint statement calling Trump’s reaction “telling.”
“What’s most telling is that the President considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law. Our servicemembers should know that we have their backs as they fulfill their oath to the Constitution and obligation to follow only lawful orders. It is not only the right thing to do, but also our duty,” the lawmakers said.
