‘You Cannot Do That’: Trump’s Deputy AG Calls for Probe Into Democrats Who Insisted Military Refuse Trump’s ‘Illegal Orders’
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said a federal investigation is warranted into the six Democratic lawmakers who called for military members and the CIA to “refuse illegal orders” from President Donald Trump, with Blanche saying they “should be required to answer questions about why they did what they did.”
He was asked about the matter on Sean Hannity’s Fox News program on Wednesday night. Hannity said he found the video the lawmakers posted a day before to be “extremely alarming,” and Blanche agreed, saying it was “abhorrent” to watch.
“I felt like I was watching a propaganda video by one of our enemies trying to recruit the military to become spies,” Blanche said. He then asked if “what they did is a crime? I mean, you tell me what it is.”
Hannity turned the question back around at Blanche, saying Blanche’s resume as an attorney led him to believe the official knew the answer.
“You are number two at the DoJ. Does this need to be investigated, and what would the investigation be under?” Hannity asked.
Blanche said a probe would focus on their “intent” for making such claims. Here is the key part of his answer:
What is the reason that they all went on a video and encouraged young men and women to defy court orders? Without even giving a hint of what’s illegal, without giving any suggestion of what law or what order they are being asked to violate.
You cannot do that in this country, especially if you’re a leader. And so what does the investigation look like? I think they should be held to account. I think that those congressmen should be required to answer questions about why they did what they did and the American people deserve that, and so does President Trump.
His appearance on Hannity comes a day after Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) posted a video on X where she and five other lawmakers said that “threats to the Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but right here at home.”
“You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders,” the lawmakers said, as they took turns reading lines from the same statement.
The other Democrats in the video were Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ). Those lawmakers served in the Navy, Army, Air Force, or Central Intelligence Agency.
Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of staff at the White House, went on Fox News a little earlier on Wednesday and blasted the video as a “call to rebellion.”
“It is insurrection, plainly, directly,” Miller told Will Cain. “Without question.”
Hannity, after Blanche’s answer above, had the federal law against rebellion or insurrection posted on the screen. It read:
Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States
The anchor then asked Blanche if he felt the six lawmakers were guilty of violating the law. Blanche said he was not “convicting anybody” on TV, before signaling an investigation would start soon.
“To defy court orders is something we have to take a very close look at, and I promise you, Sean, we will,” he said.
Watch above, via Fox News.
