Trump Again "Makes a Slip": Calls Democratic Lawmakers "Rebels" and Says "Hang Them"
According to Associated Press, US President Trump accused six Democratic lawmakers of committing "treasonous insurrection" on Thursday, as these lawmakers (who have served in the military or worked in the intelligence system) had called on military members to defend the Constitution and refuse "illegal orders" in a video.
This 90-second video was first posted on the X platform by Senator Elissa Slotkin on Tuesday. In the video, the six lawmakers directly addressed military members, acknowledging that they "are currently under great pressure." Slotkin wrote on her X post: "The American people need you to step up and defend our laws and the Constitution." Although the video did not mention specific situations, it was released at a time when the Trump administration was planning to deploy the National Guard in some U.S. cities, although some deployments have been withdrawn or blocked by courts.
On Thursday, Trump shared other users' comments about the video on social media, adding his own text.
He wrote: "Treasonous insurrection!! Capture them"??? and demanded the arrest and trial of these lawmakers, and another post stated that this was "insurrection, punishable by death."
He also shared dozens of other accounts' comments, one of which even said: "Hang them, George Washington would do the same"!!!
The independent think tank Steady State published an article on Substack stating that the lawmakers' call for "refusing illegal orders" simply reiterated the military regulations that every officer and soldier already knows, "This is not a political opinion, but military regulations."
Can the military refuse orders? Military personnel, especially commanders, have an obligation to refuse illegal orders, but they must judge the illegality themselves. Commanders can consult with accompanying military lawyers, but ordinary soldiers rarely have such legal support. According to U.S. military law (Uniform Code of Military Justice), blindly following orders cannot be an excuse. If the order is legal, refusing to execute it may violate Article 90 (intentional disobedience of superior officers) and Article 92 (failure to obey orders) of the UCMJ, leading to criminal penalties. This is why the independent think tank said so.
Some Democrats accused Trump of acting like a king, trying to divert attention from the upcoming release of documents about financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Sources: rfi
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1849391878820864/
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