The six Democrats who once urged members of the U.S. military to refuse what they labeled “illegal orders” from President Donald J. Trump are now gearing up for a courtroom counteroffensive after dodging potential criminal charges.
Last fall, the group—dubbed the “Seditious Six” by critics—set off a political firestorm when they released a video encouraging service members to resist directives from the commander in chief and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. President Trump blasted them as “traitors to our country” and demanded they be arrested and tried for undermining the chain of command.
This week, however, a grand jury declined to indict the lawmakers, stalling the administration’s effort to hold them accountable. The decision landed as a setback for those who argue that urging troops to defy civilian leadership crosses a dangerous line.
Rather than strike a conciliatory tone, several of the Democrats immediately signaled escalation.
At a press conference, Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) declared: “Yesterday, the Trump Department of Justice tried and failed to indict us on criminal charges based on a video that we filmed last year simply reminding our fellow service members to follow the law and the Constitution. They failed, and they will always fail.”
Crow went further, issuing what sounded less like reassurance and more like a warning shot. “We are taking names,” he vowed. “We are creating lists. My lawyers just sent a letter today to the Department of Justice, putting them on notice that there will be costs.”
He also claimed, “Every American should be appalled that Donald Trump and his political goons in the Justice Department have weaponized our Justice Department, their Justice Department against his political opponents.”
That’s a remarkable charge considering the recent past. Many Americans recall how the Biden administration’s Justice Department aggressively pursued President Trump, his associates, and even everyday citizens who questioned the integrity of the 2024 election—particularly those present at the January 6, 2021, Capitol protest. Yet now, Democrats are portraying themselves as victims of political prosecution.
Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan round out the group. Kelly, widely rumored to harbor presidential ambitions for 2028, cast the grand jury decision not as vindication, but as evidence of alleged intimidation.
“I want to be clear about something: This is not a ‘good-news’ story. This is a story about how hard Donald Trump and his cronies are trying to break our system in order to silence anyone who lawfully speaks out against them. And to send a signal to every American that they better think twice before they speak out, or else they might be next,” Kelly said.
Slotkin echoed the theme, accusing the president of turning the justice system against “perceived enemies” and calling the attempted indictment “straight from the authoritarian playbook.”
Crow, for his part, struck an even more combative tone, telling CNN: “If these f**kers think that they’re going to intimidate us and threaten and bully me into silence, and they’re going to go after political opponents and get us to back down, they have another thing coming.”
So after encouraging troops to resist orders from their commander in chief, the lawmakers have escaped indictment—and are now promising retaliation. Instead of reflection, they’re preparing lawsuits.
When elected officials flirt with defiance of civilian military authority, who is really undermining the system?
