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White House pushes back on claims Trump threatened to execute lawmakers · INSIGHT TODAY

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  Speaker 1: Fall out up on Capitol Hill after President Trump accused
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  Speaker 1: a group of Democratic lawmakers of quote seditious behavior punishable
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  Speaker 1: by death end quote. The members of Congress, who previously
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  Speaker 1: all served in the US military or the intelligence community,
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  Speaker 1: posted a video urging people currently in those roles to
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  Speaker 1: quote refuse illegal orders. The Democrats declining to back down
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  Speaker 1: despite that presidential threat, even as some receive extra protection
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  Speaker 1: right now out of deep concern for their safety. Here's
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  Speaker 1: that video in full. Watch this.
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  Speaker 2: I'm Senator Alissa Stockin, Senator Mark Kelly, Representative Chris Deluzio.
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  Speaker 3: Congressman Magie Goodland, your Representative, Chrissy Hulahan, Congressman Jason Crowe.
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  Speaker 4: That was a captain in the United States Navy, former
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  Speaker 4: CIA officer, former Navy, former paratrooper and Army ranger, former
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  Speaker 4: intelligence officer, former Air Force.
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  Speaker 1: We want to speak directly to members of the military and.
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  Speaker 2: The intelligence community.
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  Speaker 1: Who take risks each day to keep Americans safe.
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  Speaker 3: We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now.
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  Speaker 4: Americans trust their military, but that trust is at risk.
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  Speaker 2: This administration is pitting our uniform military.
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  Speaker 3: And intelligence community professionals.
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  Speaker 2: Against American citizens like us. You all swore an oath.
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  Speaker 4: To protect and of them this constitution.
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  Speaker 3: Right now, the threats to our constitution aren't just coming
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  Speaker 3: from abroad, but from right here at home.
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  Speaker 5: Our laws are clear.
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  Speaker 2: You can refuse illegal orders.
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  Speaker 3: You can refuse illegal orders.
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  Speaker 2: You must refuse illegal orders.
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  Speaker 4: No one has to carry out orders that violate the
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  Speaker 4: law or our constitution. We know this is hard and.
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  Speaker 2: That it's a difficult time to be a public servant.
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  Speaker 3: But whether you're serving in the CIA, the Army, or Navy,
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  Speaker 3: the Air Force.
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  Speaker 4: Your vigilance is critical.
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  Speaker 5: And know that we have your back, because now more than.
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  Speaker 3: Ever, the American people need you.
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  Speaker 2: You need you to stand up for our laws, our constitution,
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  Speaker 2: and who we are as Americans.
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  Speaker 5: Don't give up.
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  Speaker 2: Don't give up.
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  Speaker 3: Don't give up, don't give up the ship.
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  Speaker 4: President Trump posted on social media and response quote, each
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  Speaker 4: one of these traders to our country should be arrested
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  Speaker 4: and put on trial, and he shared several other users posts,
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  Speaker 4: including one reading quote hang them, George Washington, would we
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  Speaker 4: will be speaking to one of those Democrats, Congressman Maggie
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  Speaker 4: Goodlander in the next hour of the Situation Room.
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  Speaker 1: Well, looking forward to that interview. I want to go
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  Speaker 1: live right now to CNN's Elena Trained, she's over at
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  Speaker 1: the White House and CNN's are let's sign she's up
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  Speaker 1: on Capitol Hill. Elena, let me go to you first.
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  Speaker 1: What is the Trump administration saying right now about this.
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  Speaker 3: Well, there's a few points to make, wilfam Pamela. One
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  Speaker 3: is that they, a lot of them, were outraged by
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  Speaker 3: that video that you just played of these Democratic law makers,
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  Speaker 3: six of them, all of whom either served in the
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  Speaker 3: military or in the US intelligence community. They essentially were
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  Speaker 3: arguing that they were trying to encourage troops to rebel
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  Speaker 3: against the commander in chief. However, once the president started posting,
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  Speaker 3: particularly that post about claiming that they were engaging in
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  Speaker 3: seditious behavior and that that's punishable by death, that's when
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  Speaker 3: a lot of Republicans started agreeing with Democrats that this
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  Speaker 3: went to far. Now, the White House pros Secretary Caroline
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  Speaker 3: Lovitt addressed this yesterday, and she also denied that the
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  Speaker 3: post meant that the President was essentially calling on lawmakers
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  Speaker 3: to be executed.
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  Speaker 2: Just to be clear, does the president want to execute
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  Speaker 2: members of Congress?
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  Speaker 5: No, you have sitting members of the United States Congress
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  Speaker 5: who conspired together to orchestrate a video message to members
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  Speaker 5: of the United States military, to active duty service members,
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  Speaker 5: to members of the National Security apparatus, encouraging them to
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  Speaker 5: defy the president's lawful orders.
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  Speaker 3: There's a few things as well, Wilf and Panel that
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  Speaker 3: I've been hearing in some of my conversations with people
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  Speaker 3: in that building behind me. The fact that the lawmakers
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  Speaker 3: who shared this video or were part of this did
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  Speaker 3: not give any examples of any illegal orders that perhaps
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  Speaker 3: the military had received or would receive. I also want
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  Speaker 3: to point you to what we heard from the Deputy
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  Speaker 3: Attorney General, Todd Blanche. He said that the Justice Department
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  Speaker 3: was going to be opening a formal investigation to look
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  Speaker 3: into all of this. But I do want to be clear.
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  Speaker 3: We know that the law states that service members should
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  Speaker 3: not be obeying illegal orders, and to do so would
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  Speaker 3: actually open them up to prosecution. I'd remind you of
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  Speaker 3: the Nuremberg trials, and so this is going to be
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  Speaker 3: very messy. There's a chance we will hear from the
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  Speaker 3: President today addressing this. A lot of people very eager
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  Speaker 3: to know what exactly he meant with these posts.
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  Speaker 4: All right, so let's bring.
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  Speaker 1: In Oh, go ahead, Well, now, I was just going
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  Speaker 1: to say, at Nuremberg, the Nazi generals and other senior
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  Speaker 1: military officers simply said they were obeying orders from the top,
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  Speaker 1: but those orders were illegal. As a result, they paid
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  Speaker 1: the price for those illegal orders. The Democrats were not saying,
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  Speaker 1: you know, to go ahead and disobey legal orders. They
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  Speaker 1: were saying, obey illegal orders or something that goes against
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  Speaker 1: the Constitution.
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  Speaker 4: That's right. So I want to go to Capitol Hill now,
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  Speaker 4: Wolf to see how Republicans there are responding to this.
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  Speaker 4: Tell us more are let.
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  Speaker 2: Well, Pamela. President Trump's comments have really drawn a mixed
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  Speaker 2: reaction from Republicans up here on Capitol Hill, but there
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  Speaker 2: have been a number of Republican lawmakers who have said
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  Speaker 2: that the president's comments were inappropriate and do not help
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  Speaker 2: do anything to lower the temperature at a time when
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  Speaker 2: there's a lot of concern about political violence and highly
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  Speaker 2: charged political rhetoric as well. Now, sen Up Majority leader
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  Speaker 2: John Thune said that he doesn't agree with President Trump's comments,
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  Speaker 2: but his counterpart in the House, House Speaker Mike Johnson,
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  Speaker 2: early in the day yesterday defended the president's comments, saying
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  Speaker 2: that it's the Democrats who were out of line with
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  Speaker 2: their video. But then hours later, Johnson did concede that
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  Speaker 2: he would not have used that highly charged language that
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  Speaker 2: the president did. Here's a samling of how some of
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  Speaker 2: the lawmakers have reacted to this moment.
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  Speaker 6: Obviously, I don't think that this is some these are
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  Speaker 6: crimes punishable by death or any of that, Okay, But
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  Speaker 6: what the point is that we need to emphasize here
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  Speaker 6: is that members of Congress and the Senate in the
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  Speaker 6: House should not be telling truths to disobey orders it.
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  Speaker 2: I don't think that really matters at this point.
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  Speaker 1: I think that's such a pitch.
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  Speaker 2: That is just wide noise.
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  Speaker 1: I think what they did was despicable.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know if it was president they should be
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  Speaker 2: cut in jail, but I do believe what.
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  Speaker 6: They did was despicable, and then they'd explain themselves.
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  Speaker 2: Now, while Republicans have had mixed reactions on this topic,
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  Speaker 2: the president's comments have really rattled Democrats up here on
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  Speaker 2: Capitol Hill. Senator Chris Murphy yesterday very forcefully said that
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  Speaker 2: he is concerned that this could lead to additional political
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  Speaker 2: violence down the road. We know that both Senate Minority
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  Speaker 2: Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have
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  Speaker 2: talked with Capitol police about additional secure for Democratic lawmakers,
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  Speaker 2: specifically those six who were made that video. But for
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  Speaker 2: those six Democrats, they have said that they are undeterred
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  Speaker 2: and will not be intimidated by President Trump's threats.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Urlette signs ana Elena Train, thanks very much
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  Speaker 1: for that up. Did a big story, Pedela.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, it absolutely is. And there's this other story we're following. Well.
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  Speaker 4: If this former congressional staffer who was accused of staging
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  Speaker 4: her own political assault, Federal prosecutors accused Natalie Green of
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  Speaker 4: paying someone five hundred dollars to slash her face, neck,
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  Speaker 4: and other parts of her body. The Justice Department says
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  Speaker 4: Green's co conspirator called nine one one, claiming they both
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  Speaker 4: have been attacked by three men and held at gunpoint.
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  Speaker 4: Her alleged accomplice told police the attackers referred to Green
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  Speaker 4: by name and knew she had worked in the office
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  Speaker 4: of Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew graphic messages. The words
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  Speaker 4: Trump and racists were written on Green's body, you see
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  Speaker 4: it right here. But according to the criminal complaint, authorities
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  Speaker 4: found zip ties her car similar to the ones used
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  Speaker 4: to bind her hands and feet, and they found a
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  Speaker 4: receipt from the body modification artists who allegedly made the
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  Speaker 4: cuts to her body. Green is charged with conspiracy and
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  Speaker 4: making false statements to law enforcement, and could get up
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  Speaker 4: to ten years in prison if she's convicted.
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  Speaker 2: Wow