Five US lawmakers investigated over warning troops about illegal orders

Five US lawmakers investigated over warning troops about illegal orders Five US legislators say they are under investigation by the Department of Justice over a video message released in November. Five United States legislators say they have been contacted by the Justice Department after posting a video on social media calling on members of the US military and intelligence agencies to refuse to follow illegal orders. The legislators - Senator Elissa Slotkin and US Representatives Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan, and Chris Deluzio - are all Democrats who previously served in the military, CIA, and naval intelligence. Recommended Stories list of 4 items list 1 of 4 US Senate defeats war powers resolution designed to rein in Trump list 2 of 4 Canada’s Mark Carney seeks reset on pivotal trip to China list 3 of 4 Venezuela’s Rodriguez vows release of more prisoners, holds call with Trump list 4 of 4 Russian attacks cause energy emergency in freezing Ukraine, says Zelenskyy The legislators released a video in November as US forces carried out air strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, and as US President Donald Trump ordered the National Guard to deploy to major US cities to crack down on undocumented migrants and crime. “This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens,” the lawmakers said in the video. “No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or Constitution,” they said. Following the release of the video, President Trump accused the legislators of “seditious behaviour, punishable by death” in a post on his Truth Social platform. The FBI opened an inquiry in November into the five legislators, plus Senator Mark Kelly , who also appeared in the video, according to CBS News. Kelly, in particular, has faced a series of actions for appearing in the video that critics describe as an unconstitutional attack on his First Amendment right to free speech. Shortly after the video came out, the Defense Department announced it had opened an investigation into Kelly and warned that the senator could face a court-martial depending on the results. Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he was seeking to demote Kelly from the rank he reached at his retirement, as well as reduce his retirement pay. On Monday, Kelly said he had filed a lawsuit against the Defense Department and Hegseth over a campaign of “punitive retribution” that had trampled his free speech rights. It was not known if Kelly was also being investigated by the Justice Department. ‘Trump’s political cronies’ Crow, a former US paratrooper and army ranger, wrote on X that he and his colleagues were under investigation by the Justice Department. “Trump’s political cronies at the Justice Department are trying to threaten and intimidate us. Well, he’s picked a fight with the wrong people. I will always uphold my oath to the Constitution,” Crow said on X. Slotkin, Goodlander and Houlahan all shared similar posts on X. US news outlet CBS News...

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