Democrats Accuse Trump of ‘Harassment’ Tactic as FBI Seeks Interviews
A group of Democrat politicians labeled by Donald Trump as engaging in “seditious behavior” have asserted that the president is employing the FBI against them as a “instrument to intimidate and harass members of Congress.”
The four elected officials, along with two additional members, had created a recorded message urging US military service members to resist unlawful orders – a statement that provoked Trump, who posted on social media that the group were “disloyal citizens” and thus could be jailed or even face the death penalty.
An announcement, issued by congressional lawmakers the Colorado congressman, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan, and Maggie Goodlander, confirmed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had reached out to the Congressional security officials requesting discussions with them.
“No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever prevent us from fulfilling our duties and honoring our constitution,” they said, adding that they had each sworn an oath “to uphold and protect” the US constitution.
“That oath lasts a lifetime, and we plan to honor it. We will not be bullied. We will not surrender our principles,” they continued.
The declaration deepens a conflict between the president’s team and Democrats, such as Arizona senator and ex-astronaut Mark Kelly and Michigan congresswoman Representative Slotkin, over the video message, which urged the armed forces and intelligence personnel to “refuse illegal orders.”
The Michigan lawmaker said the FBI’s counter-terrorism division had notified the lawmakers that “they are initiating what appears to be an inquiry against the six of us” and described the action as a “scare tactic” by Trump.
“Frankly, the president’s reaction and the deployment of the FBI to target us is exactly why we created the message,” she explained.
“He supports utilizing the US government to oppose those he views as opponents, and he’s willing to employ the arms of the government against people he disagrees with. He fails to accept the rules govern his actions … which is precisely the reason we produced the recording, to give people some assurance that they weren’t alone as they watch this stuff unfold.”
The Pentagon has additionally stated it is performing an examination of misconduct allegations involving the senator that might, it said, lead to his return to military service to face court-martial proceedings.
