The Trump administration has failed to secure indictments against six Democrats who urged members of the military to refuse illegal orders.
A Washington, D.C., grand jury on Tuesday refused a request from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, to indict the lawmakers over a video posted to X on November 18.
Highlights
- The Trump administration failed to secure indictments against six Democratic lawmakers urging troops to refuse illegal orders.
- A grand jury rejected U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's request to indict over a 90-second video addressing military personnel.
- Lawmakers in the video, all with military or intelligence backgrounds, emphasized the duty to refuse unlawful orders.
The 90-second clip, organized by Senator Elissa Slotkin, directly targeted U.S. service members following controversial airstrikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
The Trump administration failed to convince a grand jury to return charges
Image credits: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Slotkin appeared in the video alongside Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona.
All of the lawmakers either have experience serving in the military or in intelligence.
“This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens,” they said in the clip.
“Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution,” they added.
After the clip was posted, the Department of Justice opened an investigation and sought a grand jury indictment.
Several of the lawmakers declined requests from the DOJ to be interviewed as part of the investigation, arguing the probe was politically motivated.
Sen. Slotkin and Rep. Houlahan publicly said they would not comply with voluntary interview requests before the grand jury session.
The effort, led by Pirro, ultimately failed on Tuesday when a federal grand jury refused to return charges against the six lawmakers.
Image credits: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
It is not clear what charges prosecutors were seeking against the lawmakers.
In a statement on X, Slotkin welcomed the decision and described it as an embarrassing day for the Trump administration.
“Today, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro attempted to persuade a Grand Jury to indict me. This was in response to me organizing a 90-second video that simply quoted the law. Pirro did this at the direction of President Trump, who said repeatedly that I should be investigated, arrested, and hanged for sedition,” Slotkin wrote.
“Today, it was a grand jury of anonymous American citizens who upheld the rule of law and determined this case should not proceed. Hopefully, this ends this politicized investigation for good.
“But today wasn’t just an embarrassing day for the Administration. It was another sad day for our country. Because whether or not Pirro succeeded is not the point. It’s that President Trump continues to weaponize our justice system against his perceived enemies.”
Trump has been accused of weaponizing the justice system
Image credits: Al Drago/Getty Images
“It’s the kind of thing you see in a foreign country, not in the United States we know and love. No matter what President Trump and Pirro continue to do with this case, tonight we can score one for the Constitution, our freedom of speech, and the rule of law.”
The other lawmakers expressed similar sentiments in statements after the decision, with Houlahan describing it as good news for the Constitution and free speech and Deluzio saying he would not be intimidated.
It comes as a legal ruling on the legality of actions taken by War Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected in the coming days.
A federal judge is due to announce a decision on the actions Hegseth has taken against Kelly over his participation in the video.
Hegseth announced in January that the Department of War had opened a formal process that could reduce Kelly’s retired rank as a Navy captain.
Hegseth described the video as “reckless and seditious,” accusing Kelly of undermining military discipline. He said Kelly’s comments went beyond protected speech and amounted to counseling service members to refuse lawful orders.
“It wasn’t enough for Pete Hegseth to censure me and threaten to demote me, now it appears they tried to have me charged with a crime — all because of something I said that they didn’t like,” Kelly wrote on X Tuesday evening.
“That’s not the way things work in America. Donald 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.”