Grand Jury Declines to Indict Lawmakers Over Army Footage
The video, released in November, featured six members of Congress, including Senators Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly, speaking out after the White House began authorizing strikes in the Caribbean targeting vessels alleged to be involved in drug trafficking.
In the footage, the lawmakers stressed that “no one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution,” and reassured troops that “your vigilance is critical, and know that we have your back.”
US President Donald Trump condemned the clip, labeling it “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” while US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned that it could endanger American soldiers by fostering “doubt and confusion.” Following the release, the lawmakers were informed that the FBI had opened an investigation.
Two sources told reports that the US Justice Department considered pursuing charges under 18 US Code Section 2387, a law that carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence for anyone who “advises, counsels, urges, or in any manner causes or attempts to cause insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny, or refusal of duty by any member of the military.” The grand jury, however, declined to approve the indictment.
Slotkin later described the outcome as an “embarrassing day” for the Trump administration, while Kelly posted on X that “Trump wants every American to be too scared to speak out against him. The most patriotic thing any of us can do is not back down.”
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