Senate democrat admits she’s 'not aware' of Trump issuing illegal orders despite viral video
Elissa Slotkin ADMITS Democrats lied about President Trump issuing illegal orders to the military:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 23, 2025
ABC: "Do you believe President Trump has issued any illegal orders?"
SLOTKIN: "To my knowledge I am not aware of things that are illegal." pic.twitter.com/63F8AHkK7E
WASHINGTON, DC: Senator Elissa Slotkin clarified that she has no evidence of "illegal orders" issued by President Donald Trump, just days after she appeared in a viral video urging military personnel to refuse commands from the Commander-in-Chief.
The admission came during an interview on ABC’s 'This Week' on Sunday, November 23, where Slotkin struggled to justify her participation in what the president labeled as a "seditious" campaign to undermine the chain of command.
While Slotkin and five other Democratic veterans warned troops to disobey orders, her concession that she was "not aware" of any actual illegality has seemingly validated critics who view the Democrats' stunt as fearmongering.
Elissa Slotkin talks about 'legal gymnastics'
When pressed by ABC anchor Martha Raddatz on whether the president has actually crossed any legal lines, Slotkin was unable to provide a single example.
"Do you believe President Trump has issued any illegal orders?" Raddatz asked directly. "To my knowledge, I am not aware of things that are illegal," Slotkin conceded.
We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community.
— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) November 18, 2025
The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.
Don’t give up the ship. pic.twitter.com/N8lW0EpQ7r
Instead of citing specific violations, Slotkin talked about the administration's foreign policy, claiming there are "legal gymnastics" involved in the US military's strikes against drug cartels in the Caribbean.
"Certainly there are some legal gymnastics that are going on with these Caribbean strikes and everything related to Venezuela," she claimed, referring to the allegedly aggressive anti-drug operations authorized by Trump's White House.
Trump blasts 'seditious behavior' of Democrats
The senator's backtracking comes after a furious response from President Trump, who saw the Democrats' coordinated video not as a public service but as a soft mutiny.
After Slotkin and her colleagues, including Sen Mark Kelly (D-Ariz) and Rep Jason Crow (D-Colo), told troops they "must refuse illegal orders," Trump took to Truth Social to brand the move as "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR".
"The president added 'MANY GREAT LEGAL SCHOLARS AGREE' with him, that the Democratic 'TRAITORS' should be charged with sedition," Trump wrote in a late-night barrage on Saturday.
( @realDonaldTrump - Truth Social Post )
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) November 23, 2025
( Donald J. Trump - Nov 22, 2025, 11:27 PM ET )
MANY GREAT LEGAL SCHOLARS AGREE THAT THE DEMOCRAT TRAITORS THAT TOLD THE MILITARY TO DISOBEY MY ORDERS, AS PRESIDENT, HAVE COMMITTED A CRIME OF SERIOUS PROPORTION! pic.twitter.com/rvBCoEdyJB
While Democrats have obsessed over Trump's rhetoric - specifically his suggestion that such betrayal should be "punishable by DEATH" - supporters argue that the president is rightfully defending the integrity of the military against partisan subversion.
Slotkin dismissed Trump's anger as a "tool of fear" designed to distract from the economy and the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Michael McCaul defends legality of military strikes
While Slotkin expressed "nervousness" about the legality of military operations, senior Republicans stepped in to clarify that the administration is acting within the Constitution.
Rep Michael McCaul (R-Texas), appearing on the same program, dismantled the idea that the strikes on narco-terrorists are unlawful.
"These orders that they're talking about, in my judgment, are not illegal orders to follow," McCaul stated firmly. "They are orders based upon Article 2 self-defense of the Constitution to stop a threat, in this case, the threat of drugs coming into our country and killing Americans."
Elissa Slotkin says her primary concern is law enforcement's actions
Having admitted she has no proof of illegal orders regarding Venezuela, Slotkin shifted her narrative to domestic policing.
She told Raddatz that her "primary concern" is actually the potential use of the military in American cities like Chicago, where protests against ICE and the National Guard have intensified.
"It makes me incredibly nervous that we're about to see people in law enforcement... shoot at American civilians," Slotkin said.
She claimed that "report after report" of JAG officers raising concerns prompted the video, though she reportedly stopped short of providing evidence of any orders to shoot civilians.