Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan said on Tuesday that she is under investigation by the Justice Department for participating in the so-called “Seditious Six” video in November.
In the video, Slotkin — a CIA veteran who served in Iraq — and five fellow Democratic lawmakers urged members of the military to disobey orders from President Donald Trump that they deemed unlawful.
“You must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution,” the Democrats said.
Slotkin is the first person to appear in the video, and says at one point, “You can refuse illegal orders.”
Stage 4 TDS. https://t.co/HScieod06n
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) November 18, 2025
The video did not offer any examples of Trump making illegal orders, but the clear implication was that he had done so.
In response to the video, Trump posted on Truth Social, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”
Fox News reported in November that both the FBI and the Department of Justice had been in touch with Capitol Police to arrange interviews with Slotkin and the other five appearing in the video, including Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, who is a retired U.S. Navy captain.
In another video posted on social media Wednesday, Slotkin accused Trump of weaponizing the federal government against her.
“To be clear, this is the president’s playbook. Truth doesn’t matter, facts don’t matter, and anyone who disagrees with him becomes an enemy, and he then weaponizes the federal government against them,” she said.
“It’s legal intimidation and physical intimidation meant to get you to shut up. He’s used it with our universities, our corporations, our legal community, and with politicians, who falsely believe that doing his bidding and staying quiet will keep them safe. No, I’m not going to do that, because this president does not represent the views of a majority of Americans,” she added.
Slotkin concluded, “Right now, speaking out against the abuse of power is the most patriotic thing we can do.”
Last week, the U.S. Attorney for D.C. asked to interview me because of a 90-second video that President Trump didn’t like.
The intimidation *is the point*. And it’s not going to work.
Watch my full response. pic.twitter.com/j6Z9bYqi5y
— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) January 14, 2026
The War Department previously opened an investigation into Kelly because, as a retired officer, he is still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth described the “Seditious Six” video as “despicable” in November.
“Encouraging our warriors to ignore the orders of their Commanders undermines every aspect of ‘good order and discipline.’ Their foolish screed sows doubt and confusion — which only puts our warriors in danger,” he posted on social media.
The video made by the “Seditious Six” was despicable, reckless, and false. Encouraging our warriors to ignore the orders of their Commanders undermines every aspect of “good order and discipline.” Their foolish screed sows doubt and confusion — which only puts our warriors in… https://t.co/UvLXChZnmF
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) November 24, 2025
Hegseth announced earlier this month that “in response to Senator Mark Kelly’s seditious statements — and his pattern of reckless misconduct — the Department of War is taking administrative action against Captain Mark E. Kelly, USN (Ret).”
“The department has initiated retirement grade determination proceedings under 10 U.S.C. § 1370(f), with reduction in his retired grade resulting in a corresponding reduction in retired pay,” Hegseth said in a social media post.
Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly — and five other members of Congress — released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline. As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he…
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) January 5, 2026
Kelly responded by suing Hegseth and the War Department in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeking to block his demotion.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
