Senator Elissa Slotkin under investigation after video urges troops to defy ‘unlawful orders’

WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors are investigating U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin following her participation in a video urging military service members to refuse illegal orders, her office confirmed Wednesday.

The Michigan Democrat learned of the probe through a phone call from the office of Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Pirro’s office declined to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.

Released in November, the video featured six Democratic lawmakers with military or intelligence backgrounds. The group cited the Uniform Code of Military Justice to support their message to the troops.

President Trump has characterized the video as "treason." Slotkin said she has received numerous threats since the recording was made public.

The Department of Defense also announced plans to reprimand another lawmaker featured in the video, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).

Kelly has filed a lawsuit against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging the reprimand is a retaliatory act against speech protected by the First Amendment.

The investigation into Senator Elissa Slotkin and her Democratic colleagues is not an isolated legal inquiry, but rather a symptom of a broader governing paradigm: the weaponization of federal agencies—specifically the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense—to exert pressure on political adversaries. This systematic strategy has previously targeted figures ranging from Senator Adam Schiff to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, signaling an institutional shift in how executive power is deployed.

At the core of this escalating conflict is a fundamental clash between competing interpretations of legal mandate and institutional loyalty. Democratic lawmakers have framed their actions as a defense of the constitutional order, citing the long-standing legal obligation of service members to refuse unconstitutional orders. Conversely, the administration’s rhetoric has shifted toward accusations of "treason," an extreme charge that seeks to politicize the concept of patriotism and delegitimize dissent.

The Pentagon’s scrutiny of Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, is particularly emblematic of this trend. By attempting to bridge the gap between civilian political speech and military discipline, the administration is eroding the traditional firewall between an individual’s status as an elected official and their prior service record. This creates a dangerous precedent that weaponizes a lawmaker’s military background against them, potentially triggering a "chilling effect" for other veterans considering careers in public service.

This incident is likely to resonate across Little Saigons and throughout the broader Vietnamese-American community. Debates over government overreach, national loyalty, and the weaponization of state agencies for political leverage are deeply sensitive and familiar themes, directly reflecting the lived history and collective memory of many who have experienced such pressures firsthand.