Democratic lawmakers Allege Trump of ‘Intimidation’ Campaign as FBI Requests Meetings
A collection of Democrat politicians branded by Donald Trump as engaging in “seditious behavior” have claimed that the US leader is using the FBI to target them as a “instrument to pressure and threaten congressional representatives.”
The group of four politicians, along with two others, had produced a video encouraging American troops to disobey unlawful orders – a statement that provoked Trump, who posted on social media that the individuals were “disloyal citizens” and thus might face imprisonment or even face the death penalty.
A statement, released by US representatives Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan, and Maggie Goodlander, confirmed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had contacted the House and Senate sergeants at arms requesting discussions with them.
“No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever prevent us from fulfilling our duties and upholding the Constitution,” they said, adding that they had each sworn an oath “to uphold and protect” the Constitution of the United States.
“That commitment is permanent, and we plan to honor it. We refuse to be intimidated. We will never give up the ship,” they added.
The declaration deepens a dispute between the president’s team and Democratic leaders, such as the senator from Arizona and former astronaut Mark Kelly and Michigan congresswoman Representative Slotkin, over the video message, which urged the armed forces and intelligence personnel to “refuse illegal orders.”
Slotkin said the counter-terrorism unit of the FBI had informed the group that “they are opening what appears to be an inquiry against the six of us” and characterized the action as a “intimidation strategy” by Trump.
“To be honest, the president’s reaction and the use of the FBI against us is exactly why we created the message,” she said.
“He believes in using the federal government against his perceived adversaries, and he’s not afraid to use the arms of the government against people he disagrees with. He does not believe the rules govern his actions … which is exactly why we made the video, to give people some assurance that they had support as they observe these events develop.”
The US Department of Defense has also said it is performing an examination of claims of improper behavior against Kelly that could, it said, lead to his return to military service to face court-martial proceedings.
