Last month, President Donald Trump lashed out at a group of Democratic elected officials who released a video advising that military members could refuse unlawful orders, accusing them of “seditious behaviour” and suggesting the penalty could be death. The Pentagon subsequently threatened to court-martial Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona for his role in the video.
Now, amid questions over a “double tap” strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, the Democrats behind the video say the episode proves their concerns were justified. Representative Jason Crow, a retired Army Ranger, told The Independent that the video was innocuous but that it “underscores the importance” of the message about following lawful orders while refusing unlawful or unconstitutional ones.
Crow was sharply critical of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, describing him as a “drunk former Fox News host with zero qualifications” and referencing his past struggle with alcohol. He also accused Hegseth of posting an AI-generated parody book cover showing the children’s character Franklin the Turtle firing missiles at drug boats, saying it was typical of a leader more interested in “filming videos and pull-up vignettes” than running the Pentagon.
The controversy follows a Washington Post report that Hegseth ordered Navy SEALs to “kill everybody” on the vessel, including two survivors clinging to wreckage. Admiral Frank Bradley and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met senior lawmakers on Thursday. Senator Tom Cotton, the Republican chairman of the Intelligence Committee, defended the strikes as “righteous” and “extremely lawful”.
Senator Elissa Slotkin, a former intelligence analyst, said she and others had for some time been hearing private concerns about the administration’s practices, including over sending troops into American cities and the legality of strikes in the Caribbean. She said the reports of the double-tap strike “put into sharp relief” the questions they had been receiving. Kelly called for a full hearing by the Senate Armed Services Committee, adding that Hegseth was “fundamentally unqualified” for the role, and pointed to Trump’s past remarks about shooting protesters and refusing to allow troops to defy his orders.
The strikes have drawn bipartisan criticism, though no formal investigation has been announced. The FBI and Department of Justice have scheduled interviews with the lawmakers who appeared in the original video.
