Democrats say Trump administration is investigating them over video
message to troops
[January 15, 2026]
By JOEY CAPPELLETTI
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a video urging
members of the military to resist “illegal orders” confirmed Wednesday
that they are under investigation from the Trump administration, a
remarkable step by the Justice Department that comes after the president
accused the lawmakers of sedition for their words.
The four House members and two senators all previously served in the
military or at intelligence agencies. The FBI contacted them for
interviews late last year, after their 90-second video was released, and
now say they have been contacted by the U.S. attorney’s office for the
District of Columbia, a significant escalation in the investigation.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA analyst, first revealed
the outreach from prosecutors in an interview with The New York Times.
On Wednesday she posted a video on her X account saying the office of
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the chief federal prosecutor in the
nation’s capital, reached out last week asking to interview her.
“This is the president’s playbook. Truth doesn’t matter. Facts don’t
matter. And anyone who disagrees with him becomes an enemy,” Slotkin
said. “And he then weaponizes the federal government against them. It’s
legal intimidation and physical intimidation meant to get you to shut
up.”
Pirro’s office said it would neither confirm nor deny whether an
investigation is taking place.
Democrats stand their ground
Democratic Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Chrissy Houlahan of
Pennsylvania and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire also confirmed
Wednesday that they have been contacted by Pirro's office.
“They would like to sit down with us,” Houlahan told reporters. "And to
my knowledge, each one of us have received the same email and outreach.”
The House members remained defiant, with Crow saying the Trump
administration "picked the wrong people.”
“It is downright dangerous that the Justice Department is targeting me
for doing my job,” Goodlander said in a statement. “These threats will
not deter, distract, intimidate, or silence me.”
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Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., speaks at the Center for American
Progress, June 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)
The lawmakers attracted President Donald Trump's wrath with a video that
he and his aides have labeled as “seditious” — an offense Trump said on
his social media account was “punishable by death.”
It is not clear what laws could have been violated in the video message.
In it, the lawmakers tell troops to follow established military
protocols by not following commands that violate the law. They said the
administration “is pitting our uniformed military against American
citizens” and they called for service members to “stand up for our
laws.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Wednesday that “these
members of Congress did not violate the law” and that Democrats “stand
firmly behind them.”
Pentagon vs. Mark Kelly
The Pentagon swiftly went after Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a former
Navy pilot who represents Arizona, for his participation in the video.
In November, the Pentagon opened an investigation into him, citing a
federal law that allows retired service members to be recalled to active
duty on orders of the defense secretary for possible court-martial or
other punishment. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has censured Kelly for
participating. Hegseth is attempting to retroactively demote Kelly from
his retired rank of captain.
The senator is suing Hegseth to block those proceedings, calling them an
unconstitutional act of retribution.
“The First Amendment forbids the government and its officials from
punishing disfavored expression or retaliating against protected
speech,” his lawsuit says.
___
Associated Press reporters Bill Barrow in Atlanta, Michael Casey in
Boston and Kevin Freking and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to
this report.
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