(Adnkronos) – US federal prosecutors failed to secure the indictment of six Democratic lawmakers who had urged military personnel to “refuse illegal orders,” drawing the ire of President Donald Trump, who had called for the imprisonment – even suggesting the death penalty – for those responsible. American media report that a federal grand jury in Washington rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to proceed against the representatives, authors of a short video published on social media last November.
In the video, lawmakers Mark Kelly, Elissa Slotkin, Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Chrissy Houlahan, and Maggie Goodlander – all with backgrounds in the armed forces or intelligence services – cited the law and called for “conscientious service,” without specifying particular orders to disobey. Slotkin reiterated that the video “merely cited the law,” hoping for an end to what she called a politicized investigation. The Washington Post emphasizes that it is “extremely rare” for prosecutors to fail before a grand jury.
After the video’s release, Trump had spoken of “sedition at the highest level” and called for severe punishments, even going so far as to evoke the death penalty. The administration had also floated, in November, the possibility of a court-martial against Kelly. Democrats had then accused the president of using the FBI to “intimidate” Congress, reporting requests for interviews from law enforcement.
