CNN’s Jake Tapper Goes Off on Trump in Blistering Rant Over Democrats-‘DEATH’ Rant

CNN anchor Jake Tapper was visibly incensed as he tore into President Donald Trump over his calls to execute Democrats who warned members of the military against following illegal orders, saying they were “justifiably” concerned about things like those same comments.

Trump has taken criticism over an outburst calling for the arrest of a group of Democrats he argued were guilty of a crime “punishable by DEATH” after they shared a video reminding servicemembers and intelligence officers, “You can refuse illegal orders.”

The White House defended the rant, in part by falsely claiming the lawmakers urged military members to defy “lawful orders.”

On Thursday’s edition of CNN’s The Lead, Tapper spent four solid minutes deriding Trump and his allies — beginning with the rhetorical question “What ever happened to bringing down the temperature post-Charlie Kirk’s murder?”:

TAPPER: The president just called for the execution of some congressional Democrats. You heard me. The Lead starts right now.

A video apparently has President Trump ticked off in which Democratic lawmakers remind troops that they need not abide by illegal orders. The president called that sedition. It isn’t said. That they’re traitors. They aren’t. And also said that they should be executed. They shouldn’t.

Whatever happened to bringing down the temperature post Charlie Kirk’s murder?

Plus, the Epstein files, how much will the public really get to see from the Justice Department? The former chief of staff to Attorney General Pam Bondi will be here on The Lead.

And aliens on Earth, what could that be true? A film director who wants you to hear him out.

Welcome to The Lead. I’m Jake Tapper. An explosive and unhinged presidential threat tops our politics lead today. Quote, seditious behavior punishable by death. That’s President Trump’s message on Truth Social this morning in response to six Democratic lawmakers, all of them former military or intelligence officials, who appeared in a video reminding U.S. servicemembers that they are not obligated to carry out illegal orders. Listen to part of the video.

(VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: President Trump wrote. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. Seditious behavior from traitors, Lock them up, unquote. He also reposted hang them. George Washington would. Again, just to remind you, this is the president of the United States at a time of dangerous political violence in this country, suggesting that six Democrats be killed for saying that troops shouldn’t break any laws.

So what were these Democratic lawmakers concerned about? Well, as of today, they would be justifiably concerned about a commander in chief saying they should be executed for comments that do not even vaguely meet the definition of sedition.

But beyond that, the lawmakers were primarily concerned about U.S. troops being dispatched to American cities and the possibility of troops being told to use violence against American citizens peacefully protesting. They were concerned about the deployment of the military to polling stations.

Remember five years ago when Black Lives Matter protesters were outside the White House in 2020, the president asked privately his military advisors if U.S. troops could shoot those protesters. That’s according to then Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ESPER, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: I was just dumbstruck by it. And he was speaking to General Mark Milley when he asked that question of, you know, can’t you just shoot him? Just shoot him in the legs or something. And I was, you know, shocked by it to hear this from the President of the United States saying that we shoot our fellow Americans in the streets of the nation’s capital.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Now, that was back when President Trump had a cabinet that included people who were willing to tell him, no, such no longer seems to be the case. And if you were hoping for congressional guardrails of any sort, well, if wishes were horses, rides would be free.

Today, the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, defended Trump’s posts calling for his congressional colleagues to be executed. He called the Democrats video wildly inappropriate. And here is what the White House press secretary had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just to be clear, does the president want to execute members of Congress?

KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARRY: No. Let’s be clear about what the president is responding to, because many in this room want to talk about the president’s response, but not what brought the president to responding in this way.

We have 1.3 active duty service members in this country, and if they hear this radical message from sitting members of Congress, that could inspire chaos and it could incite violence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: There is a disciplinary track in the U.S. Military for service members who disobey orders, and they can ultimately be charged with insubordination.

There is a mechanism for this. If Karoline Leavitt is worried about messages that could incite chaos and inspire violence, well, that call is coming from inside the house, the White House.

Watch above via CNN’s The Lead.

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