{"id":2513782,"date":"2025-11-23T13:16:01","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T18:16:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/slotkin-says-trump-attacks-on-democrat-lawmakers-is-tool-of-fear\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T13:19:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T18:19:21","slug":"slotkin-says-trump-attacks-on-democrat-lawmakers-is-tool-of-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/slotkin-says-trump-attacks-on-democrat-lawmakers-is-tool-of-fear\/","title":{"rendered":"Slotkin says Trump attacks on Democrat lawmakers is &#8216;tool of fear&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fslotkin-says-trump-attacks-on-democrat-lawmakers-is-tool-of-fear%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2513782&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) criticized former President Donald Trump for his attacks on Democratic veteran lawmakers who urged U.S.military members to refuse &#8220;illegal&#8221; orders. Trump labeled their statements as &#8220;seditious behavior, punishable by death,&#8221; wich Slotkin condemned as a &#8220;tool of fear&#8221; meant to silence dissent and distract from more pressing issues like the Epstein files and the economy. Slotkin clarified she does not believe Trump has issued any illegal orders but pointed to questionable actions related to Caribbean strikes and Venezuela. The White House pushed back against the Democrats&#8217; video, arguing it undermines military discipline and the chain of command. Trump later softened his rhetoric, suggesting jail time rather than death punishment for the lawmakers. Slotkin emphasized that such rhetoric increases security risks and is inappropriate across the political spectrum.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Slotkin says Trump attacks on Democrat veteran lawmakers is &lsquo;a tool of fear&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2401812\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elissa-slotkin\/\">Elissa Slotkin<\/a> (D-MI) on Sunday condemned President Donald Trump for suggesting her statements urging U.S. military members to disobey &ldquo;illegal&rdquo; orders marked &ldquo;seditious behavior, punishable by death.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Trump is seeking to exercise &ldquo;a tool of fear&rdquo; through his remarks, the Michigan lawmaker said during an ABC News interview.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3895437\/scandals-cory-mills-sheila-cherfilus-mccormick-infighting\/\">Mills and Cherfilus-McCormick scandals spur public infighting among Florida House delegation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3896073\/massie-mtg-resignation-very-sad-for-country\/\">Massie says MTG&#8217;s resignation is &#8216;very sad&#8217; for the country<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3896013\/georgia-gop-thanks-greene-trump-says-she-went-bad\/\">Georgia GOP thanks Greene; Trump says she &#8216;went bad&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s trying to get us to shut up because he doesn&rsquo;t want to be talking about this,&rdquo; Slotkin said. &ldquo;In fact, I would argue that one of the things that he&rsquo;s been doing by repeating it and talking about it is trying to distract us from the big stories of last week, which were the [Jeffrey] Epstein files and then the economy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3895131\/democrats-should-temper-expectations-2026-blue-wave\/\">DEMOCRATS NEED TO TEMPER THEIR EXPECTATIONS OF A 2026 BLUE WAVE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Slotkin was one of six Democrats last Tuesday who put out<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenatorSlotkin\/status\/1990774492356902948\"> a video<\/a> repeatedly urging military and intelligence personnel to &ldquo;refuse&rdquo; unspecified &ldquo;illegal orders.&rdquo; The move <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3893853\/karoline-leavitt-damage-control-trump-piggy-comment-executing-democrats\/\">sparked backlash <\/a>from the White House, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the lawmakers were &ldquo;suggesting that the president has given illegal orders, which he has not.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Every single order that is given to this United States military by this commander in chief and through this command chain of command, through the Secretary of War, is lawful, and the courts have proven that this administration has an unparalleled record at the Supreme Court, because we are following the laws. We don&rsquo;t <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-happens-if-trump-defies-a-court-order\/\" title=\"What happens if ... defies a court order?\">defy court orders<\/a>, we do things by the books, and to suggest and encourage that active duty service members defy the chain of command is a very dangerous thing for sitting members of Congress to do, and they should be held accountable, and that&rsquo;s what the President wants to see,&rdquo; Leavitt told reporters Thursday.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>When pressed on Sunday on whether she believed the president had issued any illegal orders, Slotkin answered in the negative.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;To my knowledge, I am not aware of things that are illegal, but certainly there are some legal gymnastics that are going on with these Caribbean strikes and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3893308\/schumer-demands-rubio-give-senate-venezuela-military-buildup-briefing\/\">everything related to Venezuela<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The President is using fear as a weapon. Using fear to silence anyone who disagrees with him. It should be condemned by Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. I won&#8217;t back down, and I won&#8217;t let the President put words in my mouth. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Qf2YqYHM9K\">pic.twitter.com\/Qf2YqYHM9K<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenatorSlotkin\/status\/1992606033379013058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Trump initially suggested Slotkin, along with Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) had engaged in &ldquo;seditious&rdquo; behavior<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3893490\/trump-blasts-seditious-democratic-veterans-truth-social\/\"> punishable by death<\/a> for calling on military members to disobey &ldquo;illegal&rdquo; orders. The president <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3896179\/trump-cools-rhetoric-democratic-traitors-calls-for-jail-time\/\">toned down his rhetoric<\/a> over the weekend, saying they should receive jail time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Slotkin said his comments changed the &ldquo;security situation&rdquo; for all members involved.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Leadership climate is set at the top. So if the president saying things like that, you can imagine people on the ground, what they&rsquo;re doing, the calls into our office, etc, etc, into our teams, the calling of police. You know, I think I&rsquo;ve been through dangerous situations before, so it doesn&rsquo;t change, you know, my feeling about speaking my mind, but obviously, the President took issue with one sentence in a video and was calling for our death. I think that&rsquo;s inappropriate, whether you&rsquo;re a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3891013\/trump-treading-water-epstein-economy-maga-coalition-splinters\/\"><strong>TRUMP TREADING WATER ON EPSTEIN AND THE ECONOMY AS MAGA COALITION SPLINTERS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The White House pointed the finger at the Democratic lawmakers for making the video in the first place, arguing that &ldquo;if this were Republican members of Congress who were encouraging members of the military and members of our United States government to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-u-s-special-forces-vets-secretly-rescued-hundreds-of-afghan-allies-left-for-dead-amid-biden-withdrawal\/\" title=\"Report: U.S. Special Forces Vets \u2018Secretly Rescued\u2019 Hundreds Of Afghan Allies \u2018Left For Dead\u2019 Amid Biden Withdrawal\">defy orders<\/a> from the president and from the chain of command,&rdquo; people would &ldquo;be up in arms.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The sanctity of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-defends-trumps-comments-on-piggy-and-executing-dems\/\" title=\"... defends ......s comments on ...piggy... and executing Dems\">military rests<\/a> on the chain of command, and if that chain of command is broken, it can lead to people getting killed. It can lead to chaos, and that&rsquo;s what these members of Congress who swore an oath to abide by the Constitution are essentially encouraging,&rdquo; Leavitt said. &ldquo;These members knew what they were doing. They were leaning into their credentials as former members of our military, as veterans, as former members of the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >national security apparatus<\/a>, to signal to people serving under this commander in chief, Donald Trump, that you can defy him and you can betray your oath of office.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Slotkin: Trump&#8217;s attacks on Dem veteran lawmakers use fear<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2513783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25177635359935.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[67559,38163,19817,3634],"class_list":["post-2513782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-democrat-lawmakers","tag-political-attacks","tag-slotkin","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25177635359935.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2513782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2513782"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2513782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2513786,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2513782\/revisions\/2513786"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2513783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2513782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2513782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2513782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}