House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) criticized a grand jury’s decision to not indict six Democratic lawmakers who called on military and intelligence community personnel to disobey any “illegal orders” given by the Trump administration.
“I think that anytime you’re obstructing law enforcement and getting in the way of these sensitive operations, it’s a very serious thing, and it probably is a crime. And, yeah, they probably should be indicted,” Johnson told reporters following the decision.
Last November, Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), and Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) all appeared in a video making a direct appeal to service members and intelligence community members to “don’t give up the ship” when faced with orders which are in violation of the law or the Constitution.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro pursued the federal indictment against the lawmakers on the grounds that they broke federal law by encouraging military personnel to disobey orders or commit mutiny. The Justice Department opened its investigation into the six lawmakers in January, which included the FBI conducting interviews with the lawmakers.
However, the grand jury determined that the Justice Department did not show enough evidence to prove “probable cause” that the lawmakers were violating federal law.
Kelly, a retired Navy captain, said Johnson should “go back to his office and seriously think about what he says publicly. The Pentagon is currently seeking to censure Kelly, which could have negative consequences for him including lowering his retirement rank and his pension.
“He’s the Speaker of the House of Representatives. He’s one of the most powerful people in this country. And if he’s going to side at every moment with this administration when they are clearly not on the side of the Constitution, I think he’s got to really evaluate why he is there and who he is really serving,” Kelly said.
Slotkin also criticized Johnson’s continued calls that she and her colleagues face criminal prosecution, saying there’s a reason for separate branches of governemnts.
“Our Founding Fathers designed this as a separate branch of government to provide checks and balances on the president, not salute like a good boy and do what he says every single time,” Slotkin said.
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