By Douglas V. Gibbs
Six Congressional Democrats have sparked controversy by calling on members of the military and intelligence community to defy President Trump from within. Senators Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Mark Kelly of Arizona, joined by Representatives Chris DeLuzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, and Jason Crow of Colorado, released a video presenting themselves as veterans of military or intelligence service. In the video, they urged current personnel to resist the President’s authority, effectively advocating a coup that would render him powerless to carry out his policies.
The lawmakers claimed the Trump administration is turning the military and intelligence community against American citizens, insisting that service members swore an oath to defend the Constitution. Yet their complaint centers on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcing laws against illegal aliens, not against American citizens. The Constitution explicitly requires the President to faithfully execute the laws of the Union, and grants him authority to use the militia, which today includes the National Guard, to execute federal law when necessary.
Their appeal rested on the notion of refusing “illegal orders.” But when pressed, they failed to identify a single order from President Trump that could be deemed illegal. The strategy is less about substance and more about perception. By invoking the phrase “illegal orders,” they plant the suggestion that Trump is issuing them, hoping uninformed viewers will accept the claim without evidence.
In reality, the move amounts to more than political theater. By encouraging defiance within the executive branch, these Democrats are calling for a seditious act against the sitting President. In plain terms: insurrection.
One can only imagine the uproar had Republicans attempted such a maneuver during the Obama or Biden administrations. The double standard is striking and deeply troubling.
— Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
