"They’re suggesting, Nancy, that the president has given illegal orders, which he has not."
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hit back at reporters during Thursday’s press conference for focusing on President Donald Trump’s comments on Democrat lawmakers who had undertaken "seditious behavior," rather than the "dangerous message" issued by the Democrats who called on troops to defy "illegal orders."
One reporter asked, "This morning, President Trump accused six Democratic lawmakers of seditious behavior punishable by death. Just to be clear, does the president want to execute members of Congress?"
"No," Leavitt replied, adding, "let’s be clear about what the President is responding to, because many in this room want to talk about the President’s response, but not what brought the President to responding in this way."
In a video released by the members of Congress, all of which were former military or intelligence community members, the Democrat lawmakers told active troops and intelligence agents to "refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution. We know this is hard, and that it’s a difficult time to be a public servant. But whether you’re serving in the CIA, the Army, our Navy, the Air Force, your vigilance is critical, and know that we have your back."
Leavitt added, "You have sitting members of the United States Congress who conspired together to orchestrate a video message to members of the United States military, to active-duty service members, to members of the national security apparatus, encouraging them to defy the president’s lawful orders."
She said that the "sanctity of our military rests on the chain of command," and if that is broken, "it can lead to people getting killed, it can lead to chaos, and that’s what these members of Congress, who swore an oath to abide by the Constitution, are essentially encouraging."
She said that if active-duty service members hear the "radical" message from those sitting members of Congress, "that could inspire chaos, and it could incite violence, and it certainly could disrupt the chain of command."
She specifically noted Senators Elisse Slotkin and Mark Kelly, as well as Rep Maggie Goodlander, who "knew exactly what they were doing," given their respective roles as a former member of the CIA, a former naval captain, and a naval officer and wife of former Biden national security advisor Jake Sullivan.
"They were leaning into their credentials as former members of our military, as veterans, as former members of the national security apparatus to signal to people serving under this Commander in Chief, Donald Trump, that you can defy him and you can betray your oath of office. That is a very, very dangerous message, and it is perhaps punishable by law," she said, noting that on the legal site, it was up to the Department of Justice and the Department of War to decide.
In a follow-up question, the reporter asked, "The president, and the vice president for that matter, have accused the other side of encouraging political violence. Isn’t that exactly what the president is doing when he says that members of Congress should be killed?"
Leavitt replied, "Why aren’t you talking about what these members of Congress are doing to encourage and incite violence? They are literally saying to 1.3 million active-duty service members not to—to defy the chain of command, not to follow the lawful orders."
When the reporter said that the lawmakers were saying not to follow "illegal orders," Leavitt said, "They’re suggesting, Nancy, that the president has given illegal orders, which he has not. Every single order that is given to this United States military by this Commander in Chief, and through this chain of command through the secretary of war, is lawful, and the courts have proven that this administration has an unparalleled record at the Supreme Court, because we are following the laws, we don't defy court orders, we do things by the books.”
"And to suggest and encourage that active-duty service members defy the chain of command is a very dangerous thing for sitting members of Congress to do, and they should be held accountable, and that's what the president wants to see.”
One reporter asked, "This morning, President Trump accused six Democratic lawmakers of seditious behavior punishable by death. Just to be clear, does the president want to execute members of Congress?"
"No," Leavitt replied, adding, "let’s be clear about what the President is responding to, because many in this room want to talk about the President’s response, but not what brought the President to responding in this way."
In a video released by the members of Congress, all of which were former military or intelligence community members, the Democrat lawmakers told active troops and intelligence agents to "refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution. We know this is hard, and that it’s a difficult time to be a public servant. But whether you’re serving in the CIA, the Army, our Navy, the Air Force, your vigilance is critical, and know that we have your back."
Leavitt added, "You have sitting members of the United States Congress who conspired together to orchestrate a video message to members of the United States military, to active-duty service members, to members of the national security apparatus, encouraging them to defy the president’s lawful orders."
She said that the "sanctity of our military rests on the chain of command," and if that is broken, "it can lead to people getting killed, it can lead to chaos, and that’s what these members of Congress, who swore an oath to abide by the Constitution, are essentially encouraging."
She said that if active-duty service members hear the "radical" message from those sitting members of Congress, "that could inspire chaos, and it could incite violence, and it certainly could disrupt the chain of command."
She specifically noted Senators Elisse Slotkin and Mark Kelly, as well as Rep Maggie Goodlander, who "knew exactly what they were doing," given their respective roles as a former member of the CIA, a former naval captain, and a naval officer and wife of former Biden national security advisor Jake Sullivan.
"They were leaning into their credentials as former members of our military, as veterans, as former members of the national security apparatus to signal to people serving under this Commander in Chief, Donald Trump, that you can defy him and you can betray your oath of office. That is a very, very dangerous message, and it is perhaps punishable by law," she said, noting that on the legal site, it was up to the Department of Justice and the Department of War to decide.
In a follow-up question, the reporter asked, "The president, and the vice president for that matter, have accused the other side of encouraging political violence. Isn’t that exactly what the president is doing when he says that members of Congress should be killed?"
Leavitt replied, "Why aren’t you talking about what these members of Congress are doing to encourage and incite violence? They are literally saying to 1.3 million active-duty service members not to—to defy the chain of command, not to follow the lawful orders."
When the reporter said that the lawmakers were saying not to follow "illegal orders," Leavitt said, "They’re suggesting, Nancy, that the president has given illegal orders, which he has not. Every single order that is given to this United States military by this Commander in Chief, and through this chain of command through the secretary of war, is lawful, and the courts have proven that this administration has an unparalleled record at the Supreme Court, because we are following the laws, we don't defy court orders, we do things by the books.”
"And to suggest and encourage that active-duty service members defy the chain of command is a very dangerous thing for sitting members of Congress to do, and they should be held accountable, and that's what the president wants to see.”
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