The president said lawmakers who appeared in a video committed “seditious behavior” and should be arrested and put on trial for treason.

Excerpts , reprinted from the Washington Post, November 20. 2025

By Maegan Vazquez, Dan Lamothe and Jeremy Roebuc

President Donald Trump on Thursday called for the arrest of Democratic lawmakers who publicly exhorted members of the U.S. military and intelligence communities to disobey any orders they perceive to be illegal, labeling the admonition “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL” in an online post.

“Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He later added that the behavior was “punishable by DEATH!” and reshared a post proclaiming: “HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!”

The threats came in response to a video released Tuesday of six Congress members with military or intelligence experience, who cautioned that “threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home.” The message appeared to rattle a president who is known for seeking retribution against his perceived foes and who has successfully lobbied for federal investigations of their conduct, upending enduring norms that insulate federal law enforcement from political influence….

The Pentagon did not respond Thursday morning to questions about the president’s post. Traditionally, the U.S. military adheres to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which holds that service members must obey lawful orders, whether they agree with them or not. They are obligated to not follow “manifestly unlawful orders,” but such situations are rare and legally fraught. Members of the military take an oath to the Constitution, not the president….

The video marked the latest Democratic effort to focus public attention on orders the president has delivered to the U.S. military that have triggered legal concerns or disputes — discussions that recently have centered on the administration’s string of military strikes on alleged drug smugglers on boats in Latin America.

Administration officials have argued such action is legal because those involved are acting as “narcoterrorists.” Critics have questioned whether designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations is sufficient legal grounds for the killings. Some U.S. military officials have sought counsel about whether such orders are legal.

The Trump administration also has deliberated openly about extending those strikes onto Venezuelan territory in an escalation that would prompt legal questions. While the United States has for years launched strikes on armed groups it considers a threat to national security, it has typically cited a legal authorization created after the al-Qaeda terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Venezuelan officials and cartels have no known ties to such groups….

While Trump has repeatedly accused different groups and individuals of treason, going back to his first presidential term, he did not follow through with many threats. In his second term, he has grown increasingly explicit in demanding specific investigations against people who have criticized him, leading directly to action by his appointees at the Justice Department.