President Donald Trump is calling six Democratic lawmakers — including New Hampshire Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander — "traitors” and suggested they receive the death penalty for appearing in a video in which they urge members of the U.S. military to refuse orders that are “illegal.”
Trump addressed the video, which was released earlier this week, in a burst of social media posts Thursday.
Trump called the video “really bad, and dangerous to our Country” and “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???” One hour later, Trump posted: “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH.”
Trump’s posts further inflame what was already a firestorm of GOP outrage over the video. State Senate President Sharon Carson had earlier called on Goodlander to resign over the video. Jim MacEachern, chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, compared the video to “encouraging treason.” But Trump's social media posts Thursday amount to a direct threat from the commander in chief.
Goodlander, a former Navy Reserve officer in her first term in Congress, and the other Democrats in the video stood by their statements. The other lawmakers in the video include Navy veteran and former astronaut Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona; Rep. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, who also served in the Navy; Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, a former Army Ranger; and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, an Air Force veteran.
From the start, they’ve said their video amounts to a reminder of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, as well as the oath service members swear to uphold the U.S. Constitution.
Experts in military law agree.
"There is nothing in the video that is inconsistent with the current law of military justice," said Gene Fidell who teaches military justice at Yale Law School.
Fidell, who served as a judge advocate general in the U.S. Coast Guard, adds that the Trump administration's use of the military is testing norms, whether it be deploying National Guard troops to patrol American cities, or in using the military to launch strikes against Venezuelan drug smugglers.
"It's a step in a longer trajectory, and it's a trajectory that involves an ongoing challenge to the rule of law, and the role of the rule of law in the defense establishment," Fidell said.
In a joint statement following Trump’s posts, Goodlander and her fellow Democrats said they would not be swayed by his attacks.
“What’s most telling is that the president considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law. Our servicemembers should know that we have their backs as they fulfill their oath to the Constitution and obligation to follow only lawful orders. It is not only the right thing to do, but also our duty,” they wrote. “Every American must unite and condemn the President’s calls for our murder and political violence. This is a time for moral clarity. In these moments, fear is contagious, but so is courage. We will continue to lead and will not be intimidated. Don’t Give Up the Ship!”
