Slotkin called for troops to defy "illegal orders" in a viral video posted on Tuesday alongside fellow Democrat veteran members of Congress. (Paul Sancya - Pool/Getty Images)
Conservative accounts countered the viral clip, citing military law and interpreting the call to action as an alleged appeal to commit treason against the United States.
"Elected Democrats just released a video encouraging members of the military to commit treason and defy orders from Trump and Hegseth," wrote the conservative account Libs of TikTok.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., added: "At the end of the day, they’re mad the American people chose Trump and now they’re calling on the Military and Intelligence Community to intervene. Sounds a little ‘subversive to democracy’-ish."
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Senator Mark Kelly, a former Navy Captain, urged troops to refuse "illegal orders" in the viral video. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg)
Both Democrats argue their bills are about asserting congressional authority, not politics. The viral video shared Tuesday, set to triumphant music, does not explicitly mention either piece of legislation.
Lawmakers appearing in the video include Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa.; Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H.; Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.; and Rep. Jason Crow. Several recite a version of the line: "You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders."
The branches and agencies represented among the lawmakers include the Army, Navy, Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency.
"Some in the administration and media are actively working to distort that message into something dark or divisive," Houlahan said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Let me be absolutely clear: there is nothing more patriotic, nothing more stabilizing and nothing more true to the rule of law than reminding our military of their constitutional obligations and reassuring them that, if they are ever given an unlawful order, they do not have to carry it out."
"‘Don’t Give Up the Ship’ is not a slogan of rebellion—it is a historic naval motto that has always stood for steadfastness, duty and loyalty to country. That is the backbone of American civil-military tradition," she added.
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The video follows a 43-day government shutdown during which American troops continued receiving pay under the Trump administration.
The White House, Slotkin, Kelly, Deluzio, Goodlander and Crow did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Jasmine Baehr is a Breaking News Writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, faith and culture.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrats-urge-military-members-refuse-illegal-orders-viral-video-hegseth-responds