Democrats targeted over ‘illegal orders’ video attend Trump speech
Democrats targeted over ‘illegal orders’ video attend Trump State of the Union
The six congressional Democrats scrutinized by the Justice Department for a video encouraging service members to defy “illegal orders” from President Donald Trump attended the State of the Union speech on Tuesday night.
Four of the Democrats, each of them House members, posed for a photo in the well of the chamber before Trump arrived, framing their presence as an act of defiance after a federal prosecutor unsuccessfully pursued charges against them over the video.
“The President tried to imprison us. But he failed,” Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) posted on X, appearing alongside Reps. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA).
“Instead, we’ll be in the People’s House – staring right at him and holding him accountable,” he said. “Don’t give up the ship.”
The two other Democrats, Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), entered with the procession of senators, previously telling the Washington Examiner that they felt an obligation to honor the office of the president even if they disagreed with Trump’s actions.
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Their attendance comes after a federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., dropped the indictment effort on Tuesday. Kelly, for his part, is still fighting a legal battle with the Pentagon after it moved to dock his retirement pay and lower his rank.
Democrats accused the Trump administration of a politicized investigation meant to chill free speech, while War Secretary Pete Hegseth argued that the Democrats were willfully attempting to undermine morale with the video.
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