Democratic lawmakers with military and intelligence backgrounds released a video urging service members and intelligence professionals to “refuse illegal orders,” stirring a heated debate about civilian control of the military and political influence inside the ranks. The message came from a group led by Senator Elissa Slotkin and included current lawmakers who once wore the uniform or worked in the intelligence community. Their appeal frames a moment of acute partisan tension as a test of loyalty to the Constitution versus loyalty to a sitting president. That tension is what turned this short video into a major flashpoint for critics and supporters alike.
On Tuesday, Democratic Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin posted a video to social platforms featuring herself alongside five other Democrats who have military or intelligence experience. “We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community,” she wrote on X. “The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution. Don’t give up the ship.”
The group’s lineup reads like a who’s who of former service members turned politicians: Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Representatives Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan, New Hampshire Representative Maggie Goodlander, and Colorado Representative Jason Crow. Slotkin, a former CIA officer, led much of the rhetoric, and the others echoed the same theme that professional judgment should outweigh political allegiance. Their military resumes give the message credibility, but they also raise questions about why sitting lawmakers chose this particular moment to press it.
In the video, the Democrats leaned hard on the idea that service members can reject unlawful directives. “We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now,” said Slotkin, and the assembled group followed with lines meant to reassure and warn. “Americans trust their military,” Houlahan said. “But that trust is at risk,” Deluzio continued. “This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens,” Kelly, Crow, and Slotkin said in unison.
The central legal claim in the appeal was blunt and repeated for emphasis: “Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders. You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders,” Kelly, Slotkin, and Deluzio said. Those words are drawn from long-standing legal doctrine about unlawful commands, but putting them into a short, politically charged clip directed at current personnel turns doctrine into a political weapon. Critics worry that framing the issue this way risks dragging the armed services into a partisan fight.
Slotkin and the other Democrats framed their comments as a defense of the Constitution, reminding viewers that “Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution,” Kelly continued. They emphasized institutional safeguards and urged vigilance across agencies: “But whether you are serving in the CIA, the Army, our Navy, the Air Force, your vigilance is critical. And know that we have your back,” they continued, all alternating different lines. The video clearly sought to comfort those in uniform while publicly opposing the president.
That public positioning has predictable political consequences. From a Republican viewpoint, elected officials openly urging the military or intelligence community to push back against presidential direction should set off alarms. The partisan timing and the collective delivery by lawmakers with service backgrounds makes it easier for opponents to argue the message was aimed less at protecting legal norms and more at undermining an administration they oppose.
Backers will call the message a necessary reminder of legal and ethical boundaries. Opponents will see it as a dangerous nudge toward disobedience at a moment when clarity of command matters. The Democratic leaders wrapped their plea with a rallying cry: “Don’t give up, don’t give up, don’t give up, don’t give up the ship,” the representatives concluded. That closing line was intended to be motivational, but it also underlines how fraught an appeal to defiance becomes when delivered by elected officials.
Editor’s Note: President Trump is leading America into the “Golden Age” as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
