Fbi Seeks Interviews With Six Democrats Trump Accused Of 'seditious Behavior'

WASHINGTON — The FBI is moving to schedule interviews pinch nan six Democratic lawmakers who appeared successful a video urging members of nan subject and intelligence organization not to comply pinch forbidden orders, according to a personification acquainted pinch nan efforts.

The move, first reported by Fox News, comes days aft President Donald Trump accused nan Democrats, all of whom antecedently served successful nan subject aliases successful intelligence roles, of "seditious behavior."

Details of nan investigation were not instantly clear. The lawmakers confirmed they had heard from nan House aliases Senate Sergeants astatine Arms astir nan FBI effort.

In a associated statement, 4 of nan Democrats successful nan video accused Trump of “using nan FBI arsenic a instrumentality to intimidate and harass Members of Congress.”

“No magnitude of intimidation aliases harassment will ever extremity america from doing our jobs and honoring our Constitution," nan connection from Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, and Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania said. “We swore an oath to support and take sides nan Constitution of nan United States. That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to support it. We will not beryllium bullied. We will ne'er springiness up nan ship.”

The U.S. Capitol Police referred questions to nan FBI, wherever a bureau spokesperson declined to comment.

Justice Department guidelines require investigative steps against sitting members of Congress to spell done an support process wrong nan Justice Department to guarantee that national rule enforcement powerfulness isn’t being utilized for governmental purposes. But nan Trump management has dismantled nan DOJ’s Public Integrity Section, which traditionally served arsenic a cheque connected investigations into governmental figures. That agency now has conscionable 2 prosecutors, down from 36 astatine nan opening of Trump’s 2nd term, according to a root acquainted pinch nan office.

A spokesperson for Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said successful a statement, “Senator Kelly won’t beryllium silenced by President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s effort to intimidate him and support him from doing his occupation arsenic a U.S. Senator.”

The Defense Department announced connected Monday that it was opening an investigation into Kelly, a retired Navy captain, saying he was taxable to nan Uniform Code of Military Justice arsenic a retired personnel of nan military. (The 4 House Democrats are erstwhile subject but not retired, while different worked for nan CIA.)

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., nan erstwhile CIA officer, said connected X that she is “not going to fto this adjacent measurement from nan FBI extremity maine from speaking up for my state and our Constitution.”

"The President directing nan FBI to target america is precisely why we made this video successful nan first place," she said. "He believes successful weaponizing nan national authorities against his perceived enemies and does not judge laws use to him aliases his Cabinet. He uses ineligible harassment arsenic an intimidation maneuver to scare group retired of speaking up."

Trump accused nan lawmakers — each of whom antecedently served successful nan subject aliases successful intelligence roles — of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!,” but later claimed he was "not threatening death" for nan six Democrats.

In summation to nan First Amendment issues astatine stake, nan "speech aliases statement "clause of Article 1 and Section 6 of nan U.S. Constitution gives members of Congress immunity from prosecution for acts taken wrong nan legislative sphere, a basal cheque connected nan law separation of powers.