Last month, President Donald Trump raged against a handful of Democratic elected officials who released a video saying that members of the military could refuse illegal orders.
Back then, Trump accused them of committing “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR” which he called “punishable by DEATH” in a Truth Social post. The Pentagon subsequently threatened to court-martial Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) for his participation in the video.
But now, as Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth face continued questions about a “double tap” strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, the Democrats who recorded the video say those actions prove why they had every reason to be worried.
Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo), a retired Army Ranger, participated in the video and said that despite Trump’s accusations, their video was innocuous.
“It does underscore the importance of the video and the message that we sent and that we continue to send,” Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo), a retired Army Rangerm told The Independent.
“As you respect your chain of command, you respect and follow through lawful orders, just like I did. But if you’re asked to do something unlawful or unconstitutional, you have an obligation, not just the right, but an obligation, to follow the law and the Constitution.” Crow said.
Crow also criticized Hegseth as being cavalier and for posting an AI parody book cover of Franklin the Turtle firing missiles at drug boats.
“Who should be surprised that you know a drunk former Fox News host with zero qualifications running the Department of Defense, who’s more interested in filming videos and pull up vignettes, doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing and is going to put our military in this situation,” Crow said, referencing Hegseth’s past battles with booze, which the Defense Secretary has said is in his past since being confirmed to his Cabinet post.
On Thursday, Adm. Frank Bradley and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with top lawmakers on the Intelligence Committee and Armed Services Committee after the report from The Washington Post reported that Hegseth ordered that Navy SEALs “kill everybody” onboard the ship, including two survivors clinging to wreckage.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), the chairman of the Intelligence Committee and perhaps the most bellicose Republican senator, defended the strikes as “righteous” and “extremely lawful.”
All of this comes after the handful of Democrats with either intelligence or military experience released the video that infuriated Trump. The FBI and the Department of Justice has scheduled interviews with these lawmakers.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) a former intelligence analyst, told The Independent that she and others had been hearing concerns about the administration’s practices for some time before the video, including over sending troops into American cities.
“Then lately, we’ve been hearing much more from folks in SOUTHCOM and associated with the strikes in the Caribbean, concerns about the legality and the fact that they couldn’t themselves see the legal justification for the strikes,” she said. “So there was a lot of juju in the system.”
Slotkin said they did not know about the specific nature of the so-called “double-tap” strike, but it made her and other members’ points more salient.
“Well, certainly I didn’t have any foreknowledge of the specific, you know, journalism this specific case, but there had been so much noise that I do think it really puts into sharp relief some of the questions we’ve been getting privately,” she said.
Kelly said that there should be a full hearing from the Senate Armed Services Committee about the strikes.
“I think, probably appropriate to have the American people say the video,” he told The Independent. Kelly said he did not want to get ahead of an investigation. He pointed out how Trump reportedly told his previous Defense Secretary Mark Esper if troops could shoot American protesters in the legs and in 2016 said troops would not refuse his orders.
“You combine that with who the Secretary of Defense is, and then he is just fundamentally unqualified for this job,” he said.
“I personally and others were concerned about the environment that has been created where we could wind up in a situation where somebody in the chain of command gives some form of unlawful or illegal order, and it was just a reminder of people that they’re not to follow illegal orders.”
The nature strikes have garnered bipartisan criticism, but as of right now, Trump and Hegseth remain largely unscathed. The investigations Trump’s administration has pushed are still in preliminary stages. But once again, tests whether Trump can trample over Congress’s oversight duties for the executive branch.
