Democratic Rep. Jason Crow contacted by Justice Department after video to troops

Washington — Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado has been contacted by the Justice Department about a video he and a group of lawmakers recorded that urged U.S. service members to refuse illegal orders, marking the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts against the Democrats.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, led by Jeanine Pirro, has requested to interview Crow about the video, which was released in November. Crow appeared in the video alongside five other lawmakers, who all have experience serving in the military or intelligence community.

“Donald Trump called for my arrest, prosecution, and execution — all because I said something he didn’t like. Now he’s pressuring his political appointees to harass me for daring to speak up and hold him accountable,” Crow said in a statement. “I won’t be intimidated and will keep fighting to uphold my oath to the Constitution and defend our country.”

Crow, a former Army Ranger, told reporters on Capitol Hill that the Trump administration is weaponizing the Justice Department “to try to silence their political opponents and suppress dissent.”

“But we are members of Congress. We will do our duty. We took an oath to this country to enforce the law, and that is exactly what we are going to do, and we will not allow any president to intimidate us and threaten us and dissuade us from performing our duty and fulfilling our oath,” he said.

The 90-second video was directed at members of the military and those working in the intelligence community and called on them to “refuse illegal orders.” President Trump swiftly denounced the lawmakers for the message and accused them of engaging in “seditious behavior” that is “punishable by death.” 

The FBI also contacted the House and Senate Sergeant at Arms requesting interviews with Crow and his colleagues on Capitol Hill. The other lawmakers who appeared in the video are Sens. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Reps. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania. 

Kelly and Slotkin have also come under additional scrutiny. Slotkin, who organized the video, said Thursday that Pirro had sought an interview with her.

“To be clear: this is the president’s playbook. Truth doesn’t matter. Facts don’t matter. And anyone who disagrees with him becomes an enemy and he then weaponizes the federal government against them,” Slotkin said in a video statement posted to social media.

The Pentagon separately opened a review of misconduct allegations against Kelly, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced last week that the Defense Department had “initiated retirement grade determination proceedings” that could result in a “reduction in his retired grade” and “a corresponding reduction in retired pay.” Hegseth also said he issued a formal letter to censure Kelly, alleging “reckless misconduct.”

Kelly filed a civil lawsuit against Hegseth and the Defense Department on Monday seeking to block the efforts to downgrade his retirement pay and rank, and accused the Trump administration of retaliating against him in violation of his First Amendment rights.