Trump wants 'seditious' Democrat lawmakers hanged? What POTUS said; ‘threat’ row explained
President Donald Trump on Truth Social shared a post calling for the hanging of Democrat lawmakers who urged service members to refuse unlawful orders.
President Donald Trump launched a tirade against six veteran Democrat lawmakers on his Truth Social platform. He called their behavior ‘seditious’ and said it was punishable by death.
In another post, Trump said “This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP??? President DJT.” Prior to launching his own rant against the lawmakers, Trump had shared several posts blasting these Democrats as well.
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One of them said “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”. Since this post was shared by the President, many took it to mean that Trump was seeking that these Democrats be hanged. This led to considerable concern about silencing the opposition.
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal shared Trump's post and wrote on X, “A Republican state lawmaker from Arizona called for me to be hanged in September. Now, Trump is saying Democratic members of Congress should be hanged. This is not a joke. These calls for political violence are completely unacceptable and they must stop now.”
Representative Eric Swalwell added, “Just Donald Trump calling for any of us who oppose him to be hanged. Weak, weak man. Doesn’t shake me one bit.”
Senator Chuck Schumer also called out Trump over the posts. “When Donald Trump uses the language of execution and treason, some of his supporters may very well listen. He is lighting a match soaked with gasoline,” he said. Another part of his speech is being shared online as well.
Who are the six Democrat lawmakers; row explained
The six lawmakers in Trump's crossfire are Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, Rep. Jason Crow, Rep. Maggie Goodlander, Rep. Chris Deluzio and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan.
These Democrat lawmakers had put out a video on social media where they called on members of the U.S. military and intelligence community, saying the Trump administration was pitting those institutions against the American people. They also claimed that the current administration was threatening tenets of the U.S. Constitution.
"We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now," they said.
"Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders," said Kelly. The rest offered a similar refrain before Slotkin concluded: "We need you to stand up for our laws, our Constitution. Don't give up the ship." However, they did not clarify what orders may be considered illegal.
Following Trump's scathing attack, Slotkin wrote on X: “No threat, intimidation, or call for violence will deter us from that sacred obligation,” speaking about defending the Constitution. When White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about if Trump wanted to execute members of the Congress, she replied ‘no’.
Trump has gone after critics like ex-FBI head James Comey. He also defended chants of ‘hang Mike Pence’ during the Jan 6 Capitol attack.
As per the US law, there is no provision for a charge of sedition when it comes to civilians. However, "seditious conspiracy" carries a maximum penalty of 20 years. When it comes to troops, the Uniform Code of Military Justice includes a section on sedition, with possible penalties including death.
(With Reuters inputs)
