DOJ, FBI Open Criminal Probe Into ‘Seditious Six’ Democrats Over Video Urging Military to Defy Trump

The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a controversial video urging U.S. military members and intelligence officers to “refuse illegal orders” under President Donald Trump, The Daily Wire has confirmed. The FBI is now preparing to conduct interviews with the so-called “Seditious Six,” a term coined by War Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The six lawmakers under federal scrutiny are:

• Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI)

• Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ)

• Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA)

• Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH)

• Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA)

• Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO)

The DOJ and FBI both confirmed to The Daily Wire that the interviews are being scheduled, though none of the targeted lawmakers responded to requests for comment.

The investigation stems from a video released earlier this month in which the Democrats, all with military or intelligence backgrounds, issued a call to service members to disobey “illegal orders.” However, the video cited no specific examples of such orders, raising alarm across the Trump administration.

President Trump called the video “seditious behavior” and initially noted that such crimes were “punishable by death,” though he later clarified he was not threatening capital punishment, but emphasizing the severity of the offense.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth denounced the video as “a politically-motivated influence operation” that intentionally stoked confusion and dissent within the military chain of command.

“This was not some harmless PSA,” Hegseth said. “It used vague legal language to undermine the military’s internal system for handling unlawful orders. That kind of ambiguity causes hesitation, doubt, and even chaos in a combat environment — and they know it.”

The Department of War has focused particular attention on Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired U.S. Navy captain. As a retired officer, Kelly remains subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). The Department announced Monday that it had received “serious allegations of misconduct” against Kelly and is reviewing whether to recall him to active duty for court-martial proceedings.

“In accordance with the UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 688, a thorough review of these allegations has been initiated,” the War Department said in a statement. “This may include recall to active duty for court-martial or administrative measures.”

The Department reiterated that military members are obligated to follow lawful orders and that the presumption is that all orders are lawful unless explicitly proven otherwise through military legal channels.

Critics argue that the Democrats’ video undermined this process by injecting political distrust into military ranks, potentially endangering troops in the field and destabilizing discipline.

In response to the investigation, Sen. Kelly posted a defiant message on X (formerly Twitter): “If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work. I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies.”

However, even within Democrat ranks, the video has drawn scrutiny. Sen. Elissa Slotkin admitted during a recent ABC News interview that she was “not aware” of any illegal orders issued by President Trump.

Despite that, the six lawmakers have doubled down. In a joint statement released November 20, they wrote, “This isn’t about politics. This is about who we are as Americans. Every American must unite and condemn the President’s calls for our murder and political violence.”

The DOJ and FBI are continuing to gather evidence as interviews with the lawmakers loom. The investigation marks an extraordinary moment — one in which current members of Congress may face criminal consequences for rhetoric aimed at undermining the commander-in-chief in the eyes of the military.