Kaitlan Collins confronts Karoline Leavitt over Democrats video misquote in White House briefing

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt faced a tense moment during Thursday’s briefing on November 20, after remarks about a video released by six Democratic lawmakers drew immediate pushback from CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.

Leavitt’s comments on President Donald Trump’s remarks calling Democrats “traitors” quickly escalated when she suggested the lawmakers encouraged military and intelligence members to reject lawful orders. Collins immediately challenged the claim, saying, “That’s actually not what they said,” as Leavitt abruptly ended the briefing amid reporters’ objections.

Kaitlan Collins pushes back on Karoline Leavitt misquote of Democrats

Leavitt repeatedly claimed that Democrats urged service members to defy “lawful orders,” stating, “You have sitting members of the United States Congress who conspired together to orchestrate a video message to active-duty service members and members of the national security apparatus, encouraging them to defy the president’s lawful orders.”

She added, “The sanctity of our military rests on the chain of command. If that chain is broken, it can lead to chaos, and it can lead to people getting killed.” Shortly after, sensing tension in the room, Leavitt left the podium.

Collins then spoke up, directly confronting Leavitt about the misquote. “Karoline, you misquoted Democrats in that video,” she said. “That’s actually not what they said.”

What Democrats said in the ‘refuse illegal orders’ video message

The video, released by Representatives Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, and Chrissy Houlahan, along with Senators Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, reminded service members of their duty regarding illegal orders. Many of the lawmakers have military or national security backgrounds.

Slotkin captioned the video: “We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community. The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution. Don’t give up the ship.”

In the video, the lawmakers warned, “This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens. Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home. Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders… You must refuse illegal orders. We have your back.” 

Donald Trump posts raise concerns about safety of six Democratic lawmakers

The video’s release came amid President Donald Trump’s posts on Truth Social, including one declaring, “This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???” Another post read, “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Trump shared additional posts suggesting the lawmakers should be hanged.

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