Grand Jury Declines To Indict Six Democrats Over 'Illegal Orders' Video
A D.C. grand jury on Feb. 10, 2026, refused to indict Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly and four House Democrats over a November 2025 video.
SemaforRepublicans chastise Trump administration for failed indictment of Democrats
PBS NewsHourRep. Crow signals legal action after administration’s effort to indict 6 Democrats
The GuardianTrump’s attempt to indict Democrats for video to troops an ‘alarm for democracy’
Western JournalGrand Jury Delivers Decision on Indictments for Democrats Known as the 'Seditious Six'
Overview
A Washington, D.C., grand jury on Feb. 10, 2026, declined to indict Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly and Reps. Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan over a 90-second November 2025 video, according to people familiar with the proceedings.
The clip urged military and intelligence personnel they 'can refuse illegal orders,' and the FBI began contacting the six lawmakers in November 2025 as part of a Justice Department inquiry, court filings show.
President Donald Trump labeled the lawmakers 'seditious' on Truth Social and demanded prosecutions, while Sen. Elissa Slotkin said on X the grand jury 'upheld the rule of law' and Sen. Mark Kelly called the attempt an 'outrageous abuse of power.'
All six lawmakers previously served in the military or in U.S. intelligence and the episode prompted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to censure Sen. Mark Kelly and seek to reduce his retired rank, court records show.
Prosecutors could present the matter to a new grand jury and the Justice Department has not publicly closed its inquiry, officials said, leaving the legal and political dispute unresolved.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as an abuse of power, using editorial choices—loaded terms like 'weaponize' and 'authoritarian,' selective expert citations, and quote emphasis—to portray prosecutions as politically motivated. They foreground Democratic voices and legal analysis while treating opposing claims mainly as quoted source content, limiting counterarguments' context.
FAQ
The 90-second video urged military and intelligence personnel to refuse illegal orders, emphasizing their oath to protect the Constitution amid stress from the administration pitting them against citizens.
The lawmakers are 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 with prior military or intelligence backgrounds.
President Trump labeled the lawmakers' actions as 'seditious behavior' on Truth Social, calling for their arrest, trial, imprisonment, and even the death penalty, stating an example must be set.
The D.C. grand jury declined to indict on Feb. 10, 2026, but prosecutors could present the matter to a new grand jury, and the Justice Department has not publicly closed the inquiry.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth censured Sen. Mark Kelly and sought to reduce his retired military rank in response to the video.
