Veterans flood Democrat’s office with supportive calls as backlash grows over ‘illegal orders’ video
A Democratic congresswoman and former Air Force captain who joined five other lawmakers in a viral video advising servicemembers they could refuse illegal orders from a president shared a slew of voicemails backing her stance The video issued by six Democrat lawmaker-veterans drew sharp rebuke from President Donald Trump who called them traitors as well as War Secretary Pete Hegseth who questioned Navy secretary John Phelan to formally review one senator s comments in the clip Rep Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania who represents Chester County and Reading shared a mash-up of numerous messages praising her and her colleagues for standing up for military members at what the lawmakers involved declared were tenuous times to be serving the general DEM SENATOR WHO BASHED HEGSETH'S QUALIFICATIONS STANDS BY DOD SEC WHO OVERSAW BOTCHED AFGHAN WITHDRAWALSeveral callers were not constituents including veterans from as far away as Fairbanks Alaska Others disclosed they hailed from Philadelphia Reading West Chester Phoenixville and Berwyn Pennsylvania along with Baltimore Maryland Carlsbad California and beyond They identified themselves by their military record as well including Marine vets infantry vets a wounded warrior a Gulf War vet and descendants of World War I World War II Vietnam and Korea I am not a constituent one revealed I am a veteran CALIFORNIA DEM TELLS HEGSETH HE'S AN 'EMBARRASSMENT' TO THE US SHOULD 'GET THE HELL OUT' OF THE DOD Thank you for standing firmly with our organization members another stated I just want to tell her I appreciate her comments and they're right a third caller reported Addressing the video s quote directly another veteran revealed they were thankful that Houlahan was letting them know it s OK to question orders that seem wrong or illegal JEFFRIES BECOMES HIGHEST-RANKING DEM TO CALL FOR HEGSETH TO RESIGN I m with you I m behind you You have backing and gratitude from citizens across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Thank you That's all I can tell you Thank you very much You're making the commonwealth very proud I am so proud of all six of you for making that video several callers added in an edited composite excerpt I will continue to speak up for you because you continue to speak up to me another advised Houlahan SEN TILLIS OPENS UP ABOUT ROLE IN PETE HEGSETH'S CONFIRMATION AFTER HEGSETH'S EX-SISTER-IN-LAW'S ALLEGATIONSIn response the White House explained Democrats like Houlahan were unable to list any examples of unlawful orders given by Trump or the Pentagon when they were urged Because -- there have been none disclosed White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson It should deeply concern all Americans that elected Democrats are publicly urging the military to openly defy the chain-of-command and the Commander in Chief s lawful orders to subvert the will of the American people she explained On Tuesday Houlahan reported the FBI reached out to House and Senate sergeants-at-arms who maintain order in the Capitol galleries requesting interviews with lawmakers in the video President Trump is using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass members of Congress she announced No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our Constitution Houlahan disclosed REPUBLICAN MILITARY VETS IN CONGRESS ARE ON A MISSION TO GET HEGSETH PROVEN We will never be bullied We will never give up the ship she disclosed quoting a line from the video spoken by Sen Elissa Slotkin D-Mich The majority prominent lawmaker in the video Sen Mark Kelly D-Ariz has since been subject to an impending inquiry by the Pentagon according to documents Kelly a retired Navy combat pilot and astronaut is in the distinct category of a retired requiring years of function rather than former a status that allows the Pentagon to recall him for disciplinary action that could include loss of rank or other penalties FOX NEWS POLITICS NEWSLETTER FORMER ARMY CAPTAIN WARNS DEMS UNPATRIOTIC VIDEO COULD SPARK CHAOSHegseth branded Houlahan Kelly and the others the Seditious Six and his office published a declaration saying that all servicemembers are reminded that they have a legal obligation under the UCMJ to obey lawful orders and that orders are presumed to be lawful A servicemember s personal philosophy does not justify or excuse the disobedience of an otherwise lawful order the War Department stated Houlahan spent two years on evolving duty in the Air Force from - and the rest of her career in the Reserves until separating in Her father was a Naval aviator and she herself was born at the NAS Patuxent base in St Mary s Maryland Five of the six lawmakers in the video also reportedly received bomb threats to their offices since the release of the video Slotkin Houlahan and Reps Jason Crow D-Colo and Chris Deluzio D-Pa received threats to their Capitol Hill office while Rep Maggie Goodlander -- the wife of Obama National Prevention Adviser Jacob Sullivan -- was subject to a bomb threat at her local office in Concord New Hampshire according to Newsweek
