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Democratic members of Congress released a short video this week urging active-duty service members and intelligence professionals that “you can refuse illegal orders” and even insisting “you must refuse illegal orders,” a move that crosses a dangerous line by turning our military into a political football. This is not constitutional courage; it’s a partisan provocation that chips away at the discipline and unity that keep our armed forces ready and our communities safe.
The message came from six lawmakers with past military or intelligence service — including Senators Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly and Representatives Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Chrissy Houlahan and Maggie Goodlander — who offered no concrete examples of what orders they considered unlawful. Telling troops to pick and choose without specificity is reckless; our soldiers follow a chain of command for a reason, and creating ambiguity in the heat of crisis can cost lives.
Americans who love their country should be furious that elected officials would bait our servicemen and women in the middle of real-world operations, especially when the administration is conducting sensitive military and intelligence actions abroad and at the border. The lawmakers’ vague admonition hands the Left’s critics a cudgel to portray our commanders as potential criminals for doing their job — exactly the kind of chaos enemies would love to see.
President Trump rightly blasted the move as dangerously subversive, forcing Democrats to answer for language that even other Americans find inflammatory, and the White House later clarified that the president was not calling for executions. Still, the better question is why any member of Congress thinks it’s acceptable to publicly urge rank-and-file service members to second-guess their lawful superiors absent any factual predicate. Politics has no business eroding the military’s ability to act decisively.
Retired Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, speaking on Newsmax’s American Agenda, slammed the spectacle as perilous and politically motivated, warning that calls like this invite confusion and undermine civilian control by weaponizing doubt inside the ranks. Patriotic leadership means defending the Constitution and the rule of law without turning service members into pawns in partisan theater; Kimmitt was right to call out this stunt for what it is.
Hardworking Americans expect courage and clarity from their leaders, not theatrical virtue-signaling that weakens our national defense. If these Democrats truly care about service members and the Constitution, they’ll stop the grandstanding, name specific grievances through proper oversight channels, and let our military do its sacred work without being dragged into a political circus. We must stand with the troops, defend the chain of command, and hold accountable anyone who tries to turn patriotism into a partisan cudgel.
