A collection of Democrat lawmakers branded by the president as engaging in “seditious behavior” have claimed that the president is using the FBI to target them as a “tool to intimidate and harass congressional representatives.”
The group of four politicians, along with two others, had produced a video urging US military service members to resist unlawful orders – a message that provoked Trump, who wrote on social media that the group were “traitors” and thus could be jailed or even be subject to capital punishment.
An announcement, released by US representatives the Colorado congressman, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan, and the New Hampshire lawmaker, confirmed that the FBI had reached out to the Congressional security officials requesting discussions with them.
“No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever prevent us from fulfilling our duties and upholding the Constitution,” they stated, adding that they had each taken a vow “to support and defend” the US constitution.
“That oath lasts a lifetime, and we plan to honor 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 Democratic leaders, including Arizona senator and ex-astronaut Senator Kelly and the Michigan representative Representative Slotkin, over the recorded appeal, which advised the armed forces and intelligence personnel to “disregard unlawful commands.”
The Michigan lawmaker said the counter-terrorism unit of the FBI had informed the lawmakers that “they are opening what seems like an investigation against the six of us” and characterized the action as a “intimidation strategy” by Trump.
“Frankly, the president’s reaction and the deployment of the FBI to target us is exactly why we created the message,” she explained.
“He supports utilizing the US government to oppose those he views as opponents, and he’s not afraid to use the arms of the government to target dissenters. He does not believe 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 also said it is performing an examination of misconduct allegations against Kelly that could, it said, result in him being recalled to active duty to undergo a military trial.
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