A shocking video from a group of six Democratic lawmakers urged U.S. service members and intelligence personnel to “refuse illegal orders,” a stunt that crossed every line of common sense and respect for the chain of command. These aren’t backbench activists; some of the speakers are military veterans whose remarks carry real weight, and yet they chose to play political theatre instead of sober leadership. The American people deserve representatives who strengthen our armed forces, not those who pander to fringe elements by encouraging disobedience.
The lawmakers framed their message as “we have your backs” while warning about supposed threats to the Constitution coming from the right, but their vague rhetoric did nothing to clarify what orders they meant or how a young soldier is supposed to judge legality under combat stress. Legal guidance for troops on unlawful orders is intentionally narrow and technical, not a politician’s slogan, and flipping that nuance into a political rallying cry is reckless. This doesn’t protect soldiers; it puts them in the impossible position of choosing between their oath and partisan politics.
President Trump responded forcefully and predictably, calling the video “seditious behavior” and demanding arrests, language that lit up the political airwaves and forced the issue into national focus. Whether you cheer his tone or cringe at his theatrics, he tapped into a raw, legitimate anger: members of Congress urging service members to second-guess lawful orders undermines the very discipline that keeps Americans safe. The country cannot tolerate politicians using the military as a pawn in their culture-war gambits.
Republican voices and White House aides slammed the Democrats for what they called an attack on the chain of command, and even conservative commentators rightly asked whether this was designed to feed a radical base rather than protect service members. The White House press office pushed back against incendiary talk of violence but stood by the importance of preserving military cohesion. If Democrats truly cared about troops, they would show up to briefings and vote on policies instead of producing clickbait videos.
Objective legal analysts have been clear that the seditious-conspiracy statutes probably don’t apply to a video exhorting troops to follow the law, but their legal parsing doesn’t excuse the lawmakers’ political irresponsibility. Military law does allow refusal of manifestly unlawful orders, yet the standards are narrow and ill-suited to being adjudicated in a political soundbite; the reckless encouragement to “disobey” without context could lead to courts-martial or worse for uniformed personnel. Democrats who claim they were “restating the law” should stop hiding behind technicalities and admit the real motive was scoring partisan points.
Make no mistake: this episode is part of a broader pattern where left-wing leaders weaponize institutions for political gain, eroding trust in the very structures—like the military—that defend our liberties. Conservatives must call out the stunt for what it is while also defending the Constitution and the brave Americans who serve under it; that means demanding accountability from lawmakers who undermine national security for clicks. If there are no consequences for such destabilizing behavior, the rot only spreads.
Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders were right to push back and insist that the Department of Justice and Congress examine whether these lawmakers crossed legal or ethical lines, because protecting the chain of command isn’t a partisan luxury — it’s a necessity. The voters who send men and women into harm’s way expect elected officials to buttress, not break, the institutions that keep them alive. It’s time for clear-eyed conservatives to hold these Democrats to account and to rebuild respect for the uniforms that risk everything for our freedom.
