Democratic lawmakers Allege Trump of ‘Harassment’ Tactic as FBI Requests Meetings
A collection of Democratic politicians branded by the president as engaging in “subversive conduct” have claimed that the president is using the FBI against them as a “instrument to pressure and threaten members of Congress.”
The group of four elected officials, along with two additional members, had produced a recorded message urging US military service members to disobey unlawful orders – a statement that provoked Trump, who wrote on online platforms that the individuals were “disloyal citizens” and thus could be jailed or even be subject to capital punishment.
An announcement, issued by US representatives the Colorado congressman, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan, and the New Hampshire lawmaker, verified that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had reached out to the Congressional security officials seeking discussions with them.
“Regardless of any pressure or threats will ever prevent us from fulfilling our duties and upholding the Constitution,” they stated, noting that they had each sworn an oath “to support and defend” the Constitution of the United States.
“That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. We refuse to be intimidated. We will not surrender our principles,” they added.
The declaration deepens a conflict between the president’s team and Democrats, including the senator from Arizona and former astronaut Senator Kelly and Michigan congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, over the video message, which advised the military and intelligence services members to “refuse illegal orders.”
Slotkin said the counter-terrorism unit of the FBI had notified the group that “they are initiating what appears to be an inquiry against the six of us” and described the action as a “scare tactic” by Trump.
“Frankly, the president’s reaction and the deployment of the FBI to target us is exactly why we created the message,” she said.
“He believes in using the federal government against his perceived adversaries, and he’s not afraid to use the arms of the government against people he disagrees with. He fails to accept the law applies to him … which is precisely the reason we produced the recording, to offer reassurance that they had support as they observe these events develop.”
The US Department of Defense has additionally stated it is conducting a review of claims of improper behavior against Kelly that could, it said, result in him being recalled to active duty to face court-martial proceedings.
