Republican Senator Blasts FBI for Investigating Democratic Colleagues
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) rebuked the Trump administration on Tuesday as the FBI is investigating six Democratic lawmakers who released a video urging members of the armed services and the intelligence community to “refuse illegal orders.”
Murkowski specifically came to the defense of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), who is a retired Navy captain and astronaut. On Monday, it was reported that the Department of Defense is mulling court-martial proceedings against him. The other Democrats in the video were Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA). All are veterans of the armed forces or the CIA.
On Tuesday, Murkowski slammed the Department of Defense and the FBI over the investigations and said they have more pressing matters to probe. Writing on X, she said:
Senator Kelly valiantly served our country as an aviator in the U.S. Navy before later completing four space shuttle missions as a NASA astronaut. To accuse him and other lawmakers of treason and sedition for rightfully pointing out that servicemembers can refuse illegal orders is reckless and flat-out wrong. The Department of Defense and FBI surely have more important priorities than this frivolous investigation.
The video from the six lawmakers sent President Donald Trump into a rage.
“It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL,” he wrote on Truth Social last week. “Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand – We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET.”
Trump reposted several posts attacking the lawmakers, including one that said, “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”
After Trump’s remarks, Slotkin said Capitol Police told her she would be receiving round-the-clock protection.
“I’ve had threats here and there,” she told MS NOW last week. “It was instantaneous. I mean, hundreds, if not at this point, thousands of calls, emails, texts, obviously online postings.”
