In a dispute regarding threats from US President Donald Trump Senator Elissa Slotkin has opposed several Democratic members of Congress. “It’s no secret that the president is trying to use the Department of Justice as a weapon,” he told ABC News. “We’ve seen him act like this several times with different people. It’s a tool for intimidation.”
This was preceded by a video in which six Democratic members of Congress, who have military or intelligence backgrounds, essentially asked members of the US military not to put themselves under pressure. “Our law is clear: You can refuse illegal orders – you must refuse illegal orders,” he said. No one may carry out orders that violate the law or the constitution.
Trump then made several posts on the Truth Social platform in which he accused a group of Democrats of “treasonous insurrectionary behavior.” In another post, he did not mention her by name, but wrote: “WELLLESS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” He also joined Ministry of Justice Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche called for members of Congress to be held accountable.
Slotkin: “Legal maneuver” in attacks on Venezuela
Slotkin defended the video’s release. He and his colleagues were approached by several young officers who, as National Guardsmen or part of military units in Latin America, were unsure whether they should carry out their orders. When asked if he believed Trump would do it Military Slotkin responded: “I’m not aware of anything illegal, but there’s certainly been some legal maneuvering related to attacks in the Caribbean and anything to do with Venezuela.”
On Saturday, the president tried to weigh up his threat. “I didn’t threaten them with death, but I thought they were in serious trouble. It used to mean death,” he said in an interview with Fox News Radio. In his view, lawmakers had violated the law by asking members of the US military to refuse the US President’s orders.
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