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A group of Democratic lawmakers this week released a slick, viral video urging members of the U.S. military and intelligence community to “refuse illegal orders,” a move that should alarm every American who believes in the chain of command and the rule of law. The clip didn’t just raise questions — it openly invited servicemembers to pick sides in a political fight against the sitting president.
The participants were not random activists but elected officials who tout military or intelligence backgrounds: Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, Rep. Chris Deluzio, Rep. Maggie Goodlander, and Rep. Jason Crow. These names matter because their uniforms and past service are being used to lend gravitas to a partisan appeal that intentionally blurs the line between lawful dissent and disobedience.
The video repeatedly intoned, “You can refuse illegal orders… you must refuse illegal orders,” and was packaged under the nautical slogan “Don’t Give Up the Ship,” a choice of branding that turned a military maxim into a political recruiting tool. The clip’s triumphant music, tight edits, and social-media push show this was designed to go viral and to seed doubt inside the ranks.
Conservative voices were rightly outraged, and Fox’s Sean Hannity called out the stunt as shocking and unpatriotic during his monologue, arguing that elected Democrats are inviting the military to substitute its judgment for that of the American people. The Department of War’s Pete Hegseth dismissed the clip as “Stage 4 TDS,” and Republicans warned that telling troops to disobey the commander-in-chief borders on incitement.
To be sure, the Democratic lawmakers behind the clip have introduced legislation — including a “No Troops in Our Streets” bill and a war-powers resolution — seeking to curb the president’s authority to deploy forces domestically or conduct certain strikes. But packaging policy disputes into a public call for service members to defy orders is reckless and dangerously corrosive to civilian control of the military.
This is not a debate about abstract rights; it is about preserving the apolitical nature of our armed forces and preventing elected officials from weaponizing military loyalty for partisan ends. Americans who love this country and respect the oath of our troops should reject any politician who seeks to turn them into pawns in a political vendetta.
Sean Hannity’s response was more than cable heat; it was a necessary defense of constitutional norms and the principle that the military answers to civilian leaders chosen by voters, not to a rolling cast of angry partisans. Patriots should stand with those who defend our institutions and demand accountability from lawmakers who flirt with undermining them.
Hardworking Americans know the difference between lawful oversight and political theater designed to sow insubordination. We owe our troops better than being dragged into a political civil war — and we should make clear that calls for disobedience, no matter who says them, will not be tolerated in a free country that prizes order, duty, and loyalty to the Constitution.
