❓WHAT HAPPENED: Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) has refused to comply with a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into a video she and other congressional Democrats produced, urging U.S. service members to resist what they called “illegal orders.”
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Senator Elissa Slotkin, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and five other Democratic lawmakers with military or intelligence backgrounds.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The controversy stems from a video released last year; Slotkin’s refusal was announced on Thursday via a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
💬KEY QUOTE: “They are purposely using physical and legal intimidation to get me to shut up.” — Sen. Slotkin.
🎯IMPACT: The DOJ will now likely weigh whether to issue subpoenas to sitting members of Congress who refuse to sit for voluntary interviews regarding the video.
Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) announced on Thursday that she will not comply with a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into a video she and five other Democrat lawmakers released last year in which they urged members of the U.S. military to ignore what the group characterized as “illegal orders.” The video prompted swift backlash from the Trump administration, with the President himself calling the Democrat message “seditious.” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth admonished Democrats for releasing the video, stating it was a “politically-motivated influence operation” that undermined trust in the military’s chain of command.
“Today, I sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro informing them that I will not be sitting down with them for their inquiry over a 90-second video I filmed in November,” Slotkin wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, with an accompanying video elaborating further on her decision. The Michigan Democrat stated, “They are purposely using physical and legal intimidation to get me to shut up. But more importantly, they’re using that intimidation to deter others from speaking out against their administration.”
Attorneys for Sen. Slotkin delivered two letters on Thursday, one informing U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro that Slotkin will not sit for a voluntary interview and instructed Pirro’s office to preserve documents for what they described as “anticipated litigation.” A second letter, delivered to Attorney General Pam Bondi, also stated that the Michigan Senator will not cooperate with the DOJ investigation and instead demanded that Bondi terminate the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) inquiry into the video.
The National Pulse reported last month that Slotkin’s colleague, Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ)—who also appeared in the video—filed a lawsuit against the Department of War (DOW) and War Secretary Hegseth over action to demote him and cut his retirement pay as a consequence of the video. Notably, the DOJ’s requests have so far been voluntary, but prosecutors may escalate by issuing subpoenas.
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