When President Donald Trump claimed members of Congress deserved the death penalty last week, he showed yet again that he doesn’t respect the rule of law.
The president turned to social media to accuse six Democratic members of Congress of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH,” in reaction to a video these elected officials, all former members of the military or the intelligence community, had posted the day before. They remind military service members: “You can refuse illegal orders” and “no one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.”
The video states the obvious: Every member of the military takes an oath to obey the Uniform Code of Military Justice — which states they must not obey an order if it “is contrary to the Constitution” or “the laws of the United States” even if given by a superior officer or the commander in chief.
Trump was so rattled by the video that he unleashed a stream of 19 posts or shares including: “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???” A predictable surge of threats against the lawmakers followed, prompting the House Sergeant at Arms and the U.S. Capitol Police to provide them with additional security.
When White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt weighed in, saying the president would never authorize an illegal order, she inaccurately claimed the Democrats were “encouraging” members of the military “to defy the President’s lawful orders.”