Democrat legislators who urged American military personnel to ignore illegal orders are now reacting to what they call a federal inquiry into their conduct.
Notification of Investigation
Democrat Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan stated that the FBI on the start of the week informed the half-dozen lawmakers who were featured in last week's recording about the investigation.
"No amount of intimidation or targeting will never stop us from performing our duties and honoring our founding document," several Congressional representatives declared.
Executive Response
Their statement to troops prompted US President Trump to allege the Democrats of "treasonous conduct, punishable by death" and initiated a Defense Department review of "significant claims of improper behavior" against Democratic Legislator Mark Kelly of the state of Arizona, who also participated in the recording.
The Justice Department refused to provide statement on the alleged investigation.
Video Details
The video by Democratic officials, all of whom have served in the military or national security sector, was distributed last week by the Michigan senator and features Senator Kelly and Congress members Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan and Jason Crow.
The message emerged amid escalating friction between the Trump administration and the government of Venezuela, as well as Democrat-led municipalities resisting Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to the area.
FBI Involvement
Slotkin stated on Tuesday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation's national security division sent a note to the Congress members to inform them of an alleged inquiry into the lawmakers.
"His reaction and the use of the FBI against us is exactly why we made the recording," she stated at an gathering in her home state.
"He believes in using the national government against his perceived opponents, and he's not hesitant to utilize the arms of the administration against people he opposes," she said, characterizing Trump's actions as "a scare tactic."
Legislative Reaction
Likewise, Congress members Deluzio, Goodlander, Houlahan and Crow asserted that Trump is using the FBI as "tool to intimidate and harass" legislators, verifying that the Federal Bureau contacted the Congressional security officials to request meetings.
"We swore an pledge to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. We will not be bullied. We refuse to surrender our principles," they stated.
Executive Response
The recording - in which Kelly accused the government of "setting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against the American people" - provoked the President's anger and he implied on online platforms that they be detained, imprisoned and hanged.
His comments received bipartisan censure and the president eventually walked back his statements in a television appearance, explaining that he was "not threatening death."
Pentagon Response
On Monday, the Defense Department alleged the Arizona legislator, a previous captain in the Navy and astronaut, of violating armed forces regulations. The military leadership announced it would perform a examination to establish whether the state senator should be returned to active duty to undergo military judicial process.
Even though the senator retired from the armed forces, he is still bound by the military legal code - a national legislation enacted by the legislature in 1951 that subjects members of the military to a special set of rules.
Defense Secretary Statement
Military leader Pete Hegseth accused Kelly of violating the military code and of using his position and military background as a way to lend "the impression of legitimacy to his words" in the video.
He continued that the senator's conduct "brings discredit upon the military and will be addressed appropriately."
Legislator Response
But the Arizona senator also pushed back, saying that he has "devoted too much to this country to be intimidated by intimidators who prioritize their own authority than defending the founding document."
Reports suggested on the following day that the Federal Bureau and Justice Department contacted Congressional security to schedule interviews with the half-dozen members of Congress.
The FBI declined to provide statement on that day when approached by news organizations.
