US federal authorities are preparing to question six Democratic members of Congress who recently called on American service members to resist any orders from President Donald Trump that they deem unlawful, according to a report by Fox News. The FBI interviews are described as part of an early fact-finding effort, but they come amid a broader confrontation between the Trump administration and lawmakers warning that the military must uphold the Constitution, not presidential whim.

The planned interviews follow an announcement by the Department of War on Monday that it has opened a misconduct review into Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, over his involvement in the initiative. Officials have signaled that Kelly could even be recalled to active duty to face proceedings under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, an extraordinary step against a sitting senator. Kelly appeared alongside several Democratic colleagues in a video circulated last week urging members of the armed forces to stand firm against directives that violate US law.

In that recording, the lawmakers told troops that they must refuse “unlawful orders” from the administration, a message delivered by a group that included Senators Elissa Slotkin and Kelly, as well as Representatives Chrissy Houlahan, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, and Jason Crow. The video did not cite a specific incident, but Democratic officials and former military lawyers have recently expressed concern over Trump’s willingness to push legal boundaries, from domestic deployments of active-duty troops to controversial strikes abroad whose legal basis has been called into question.

SHOCKING: Democrats Call For An Insurrection Against Trump

"You can refuse illegal orders.... No one has to carry out orders that violate the law... or our Constitution." pic.twitter.com/JVhNhBEjDs

— Mr Producer (@RichSementa) November 19, 2025

The lawmakers have since argued that their remarks simply reflect long-standing military doctrine: service members are obligated to obey lawful commands but are duty-bound to reject any that clearly violate US or international law. Veterans groups and civil-military scholars have echoed this position, warning that criminalizing such reminders risks politicizing the armed forces and sowing confusion within the chain of command.

Trump reacted with fury on his Truth Social platform, accusing the group of attempting to undermine his authority as commander in chief. He wrote that the Democrats who encouraged troops to defy his supposedly illegal commands should be taken into custody, saying they ought to be jailed or even face execution for what he called “seditious behavior.” Trump insisted that any members of Congress who told US military personnel to disobey his orders must be punished, declaring that they should be “arrested or even face the death penalty” for their actions.

The lawmakers involved say the growing pressure from federal agencies only reinforces the fears that motivated their video message. Some, including Slotkin, have publicly warned that the president’s use of federal law enforcement against political opponents demonstrates why clear guidance to the military is necessary. The episode has now escalated into a major test of the boundaries between protected political speech, the lawful obligations of the armed forces, and the willingness of the executive branch to pursue adversaries under the banner of discipline and national security.

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