In November 2025, six Democratic lawmakers—Representative Jason Crow, Senator Mark Kelly, Representative Maggie Goodlander, Senator Elissa Slotkin, Representative Chris Deluzio, and Representative Chrissy Houlahan—posted a video reminding military service members that they are legally required to refuse unlawful orders under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (Article 92). This is not controversial—it is settled law. Trump accused them of “seditious behavior,” called for them to be “arrested and put on trial,” and said sedition is “punishable by death.” He reposted a message saying, “Hang them George Washington would.” Senator Slotkin received hundreds of death threats and was given 24/7 Capitol Police protection.
Then it got worse. On February 11, 2026, it was revealed that Trump's Department of Justice actually attempted to indict these six members of Congress for making the video. A federal grand jury refused to issue the indictment—ordinary citizens looked at the case and said no. The grand jury's refusal is a stunning rebuke: even citizens empaneled by Trump's own DOJ recognized that reminding troops about existing law is not a crime.
Senator Kelly called it “an outrageous abuse of power,” saying, “It wasn't enough for Pete Hegseth to censure me... now it appears they tried to have me charged.” Representative Crow said the administration is “weaponizing their justice system just to try to silence dissent.” Senator Slotkin posted, “Tonight we can score one for the Constitution, our freedom of speech.” Representative Houlahan called the grand jury's decision “a win for all Americans.”
This is the full authoritarian playbook: a president threatens elected officials with death for stating established law, then uses the Justice Department to try to criminally prosecute them for it. The only thing that stopped it was a grand jury of ordinary Americans who refused to go along.