(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania lawmakers are responding to a conflict that began Thursday after President Donald Trump accused a group of Democrats, including two of the commonwealth’s congressional representatives, of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” on Truth Social.
The post, along with several others which seemed to call for their execution, was in response to a video in which the officials called upon the military to “refuse illegal orders.”
The group of six congressional members included Pittsburgh-area Rep. Chris Deluzio, a Navy veteran, and southeastern Pennsylvania’s Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, an Air Force veteran. Both representatives have used their military background to bolster criticisms during Trump’s second presidency, including Deluzio’s bill updating the Insurrection Act to curb executive powers to militarize the National Guard.
In addition to Deluzio and Houlahan, the video featured Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA analyst; Sen. Mark Kelly, a Navy veteran and NASA astronaut; Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, an Army veteran; and Rep. Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, a Naval Intelligence veteran. They group released a joint statement responding to Trump’s comments.
“We are veterans and national security professionals who love this country and swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” they wrote. “That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. No threat, intimidation, or call for violence will deter us from that sacred obligation.”
The group has maintained that refusing illegal orders is a basic condition of each service member’s oath to the U.S. Constitution. The obligation to uphold the law comes before any orders from a superior officer, including the Commander in Chief.
Throughout much of U.S. history, that obligation has been viewed as a “given,” but policy shifts under the Trump administration have stirred public debate about the legality of certain orders. Domestic deployments of the National Guard, alleged weaponization of the Justice Department and intelligence agencies against political foes, and attacks on civilian Venezuelan boats dubbed “narco-terrorists” have raised debate amongst legal scholars.
Critics say that calling upon rank-and-file military to make determinations about the law effectively sows fear and confusion. The lawmakers say they are just pointing out what service members already know and letting them know they “have their backs.”
“These are bedrock principles in our country, that you follow lawful orders, that the oath to the Constitution, the loyalty to the Constitution comes above all,” Deluzio said in a video posted to X.
The legislators emphasized that it’s the president’s response, not their words, that should be scrutinized.
“What’s most telling is that the President considers it punishable by death for us to restate the law,” reads the group’s statement.
Houlahan posted a video to X elaborating on the issue.
“Each of us who has participated has previously served this nation with honor, and the fact that this president responded with threats is really chilling, and it reveals far more about his authoritarian instincts than it does about anything that we said,” she said. “In fact, he made our case for us.”
In their statement, the group reached beyond the military, speaking to the whole country.
“This isn’t about politics. This is about who we are as Americans. Every American must unite and condemn the President’s calls for our murder and political violence. This is a time for moral clarity.”
The call for “moral clarity” is one that has echoed frequently and loudly from Pennsylvania over the past two years. From the attempted assassination on then-candidate President Donald Trump in Butler to the firebombing of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence, the state has been the setting for extreme acts of political violence.
Shapiro has often sought for cooler heads to prevail, but he has also been outspoken in his disagreements with Trump.
“Not only has the President failed in his responsibility to lead this country — he is actively encouraging political violence once again, ratcheting up the real risk of danger to our elected leaders and deepening the divides in our country,” wrote Shapiro on X. “The sycophants and enablers the President surrounds himself with are quick to condemn language like this when it suits their political purposes — but in moments like this, they remain silent.”
In an email to The Center Square, U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania, an Army veteran, joined in calls to cool things down while pointing to the Democrats as instigators.
“The Democrats’ video is wrong and extremely inappropriate,” said McCormick. “I didn’t hear any of these calls to defy orders when Democrats were using lawfare against President Trump, giving outlandish pardons, or intimidating tech companies to stop free speech. President Trump can speak for himself, but as I’ve said repeatedly, there is no place in either party for violent rhetoric and everyone needs to dial it down a notch.”
