Grand Jury Refuses To Indict Dem Lawmakers Over Video Urging Military To Disobey ‘Illegal Orders’

A Washington, D.C., grand jury refused to indict six Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday over a video they produced in November urging military members to disobey “illegal orders” given by President Donald Trump.

The video — which featured Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and four Democratic House members — was labeled by the Trump administration as a “seditious” act. Members of the grand jury, however, did not sign off on the charges brought by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro against the lawmakers, the Associated Press reported. It remains unclear what specific charges prosecutors were seeking to bring against the members of Congress.

The federal government could attempt to bring charges against the Democrats before a grand jury again. The Daily Wire reached out to the Justice Department for comment.

Slotkin, who organized the video message, said on Tuesday night that the grand jury’s refusal to indict was “embarrassing” for the Trump administration. Last week, the Michigan Democrat rejected the Justice Department’s request to sit down for a voluntary interview and answer questions about the video.

“Today, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro attempted to persuade a Grand Jury to indict me. This was in response to me organizing a 90-second video that simply quoted the law. Pirro did this at the direction of President Trump, who said repeatedly that I should be investigated, arrested, and hanged for sedition,” Slotkin posted on X. “Today, it was a grand jury of anonymous American citizens who upheld the rule of law and determined this case should not proceed. Hopefully, this ends this politicized investigation for good.”

The other lawmakers featured in the short clip were Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, and Chrissy Houlahan and Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania.

In the video, the Democrats — who are all military veterans or former members of the intelligence community — told U.S. service members that “threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home” and that the Trump administration “is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens.”

“Our laws are clear, you can refuse illegal orders,” the Democrats added. “You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders.”

The video was released as Democrats — and a few Republicans — criticized the Trump administration’s military strikes on suspected drug runners in the Caribbean Sea. Just weeks after the Democrats made the video, President Trump authorized a military operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

President Trump suggested that the video represented “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH.” Trump later clarified that he was not calling for the Democrats to be executed.

“I would say they’re in serious trouble. I’m not threatening death, but I think they’re in serious trouble,” Trump said. “In the old days, it was death. That was seditious behavior.”

The War Department, led by Secretary Pete Hegseth, moved to strip Senator Kelly, a retired astronaut and naval officer, of his rank and retirement pay over his participation in the video. Last month, Kelly sued Hegseth, along with Navy Secretary John Phelan, the Department of the Navy, and the War Department, arguing that their action against him violates the First Amendment.