• FBI seeks interviews with six Democratic lawmakers following a video urging military members to defy illegal orders.
• President Trump accused the lawmakers of “seditious behavior,” claiming it is “punishable by death.”
• The Pentagon is reviewing potential military charges against Senator Mark Kelly for his involvement in the video.
• Lawmakers describe the FBI inquiry as a tactic of intimidation aimed at silencing dissent.
• Democrats maintain that their statements reflect U.S. law regarding military obligations to refuse unlawful orders.

The FBI has initiated an inquiry involving six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a video urging U.S. military personnel to refuse illegal orders, as confirmed by a Justice Department official. This inquiry follows accusations from President Trump, who labeled the lawmakers as engaging in “seditious behavior,” which he claimed is subject to capital punishment, according to Reuters, The Hill, and CBS News.

Senator Mark Kelly, one of the lawmakers involved, could face potential charges as the Pentagon reviews his actions in relation to military law. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described the video’s content as “seditious” and indicated that the department is looking into Kelly's comments, according to reports from ABC News and Los Angeles Times.

The FBI's moves have been characterized by the lawmakers as an intimidation tactic stemming from a president who attempts to weaponize federal agencies against his critics. Senator Elissa Slotkin expressed that the inquiry is emblematic of a troubling political climate, indicating, “The President directing the FBI to target us is exactly why we made this video,” as reported by BBC and South China Morning Post.

Senator Slotkin, alongside her colleagues, reiterated their assertion that American service members, under military law, have the right to refuse unlawful orders, a principle they sought to affirm through their public statements. She also criticized the governments’ recent military actions, highlighting public concerns among troops about possible illegal deployments, according to Al Jazeera and Channel News Asia.

The inquiry comes amid a backdrop of escalating tensions regarding the legality of military orders from the Trump administration, especially concerning operations against alleged drug traffickers and the deployment of military forces to U.S. cities, which some view as unlawful interventions. The Democrats' video specifically did not cite particular illegal orders but aimed to address broader concerns surrounding military engagement under the current administration, as reflected in reports from South China Morning Post and Al Jazeera.