Democratic lawmakers Allege Trump of ‘Intimidation’ Campaign as FBI Requests Interviews
A collection of Democrat lawmakers labeled by the president as engaging in “seditious behavior” have claimed that the US leader is using the FBI against them as a “instrument to intimidate and harass congressional representatives.”
The group of four politicians, together with two additional members, had created a recorded message urging US military service members to disobey illegal commands – a statement that provoked Trump, who wrote on online platforms that the group were “traitors” and thus might face imprisonment or even be subject to capital punishment.
An announcement, issued by congressional lawmakers the Colorado congressman, the Pennsylvania representatives, and the New Hampshire lawmaker, verified that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had contacted the Congressional security officials seeking interviews with them.
“No amount of intimidation or harassment will ever prevent us from fulfilling our duties and upholding the Constitution,” they stated, noting that they had each taken a vow “to support and defend” the Constitution of the United States.
“That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. We refuse to be intimidated. We will not surrender our principles,” they continued.
The declaration intensifies a conflict between the president’s team and Democratic leaders, such as the senator from Arizona and ex-astronaut Mark Kelly and the Michigan representative Representative Slotkin, over the video message, which urged the military and intelligence services members to “disregard unlawful commands.”
Slotkin said the counter-terrorism unit of the FBI had informed the lawmakers that “they are opening what appears to be an inquiry targeting the six individuals” and characterized the action as a “intimidation strategy” by Trump.
“To be honest, the leader’s response and the use of the FBI against us is exactly why we made the video,” she said.
“He believes in using the federal government against his perceived adversaries, and he’s willing to employ the arms of the government to target dissenters. 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 had support as they observe these events develop.”
The Pentagon has also said it is performing an examination of claims of improper behavior against Kelly that could, it said, result in him being recalled to active duty to undergo a military trial.