Democrats Accuse Trump of ‘Harassment’ Tactic as FBI Requests Meetings
A collection of Democrat lawmakers branded by Donald Trump as involved in “seditious behavior” have asserted that the president is employing the FBI to target them as a “instrument to intimidate and harass members of Congress.”
The four elected officials, together with two additional members, had produced a recorded message urging US military service members to resist unlawful orders – a message that angered Trump, who posted on social media that the individuals were “traitors” and thus could be jailed or even be subject to capital punishment.
An announcement, issued by congressional lawmakers Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan, and the New Hampshire lawmaker, confirmed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had reached out to the Congressional security officials seeking discussions with them.
“No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever prevent us from fulfilling our duties and honoring our constitution,” they said, noting that they had each sworn an oath “to uphold and protect” the Constitution of the United States.
“That commitment is permanent, and we intend to keep it. We will not be bullied. We will not surrender our principles,” they added.
The declaration intensifies a dispute between the president’s team and Democrats, including the senator from Arizona and former astronaut Senator Kelly and the Michigan representative Elissa Slotkin, over the video message, which urged the military and intelligence services members to “refuse illegal orders.”
Slotkin said the FBI’s counter-terrorism division had notified the group that “they are opening what seems like an inquiry against the six of us” and described the move as a “scare tactic” by Trump.
“Frankly, the president’s reaction and the deployment of the FBI to target us is exactly why we made the video,” she said.
“He supports utilizing the US government against his perceived adversaries, and he’s not afraid to use the government agencies against people he disagrees with. He does not believe the rules govern his actions … which is precisely the reason we produced the recording, to offer reassurance that they weren’t alone as they observe these events develop.”
The Pentagon has additionally stated it is performing an examination of claims of improper behavior involving the senator that might, it indicated, result in him being recalled to active duty to face court-martial proceedings.
