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A video featuring six Democrats telling U.S. troops to reject unlawful orders has sparked backlash, with President Donald Trump declaring it to be “seditious behavior.”
Former U.S. Army Captain Doug Truax, founder of Restoration of America, told Fox News Digital the video risks undermining the military’s chain of command and increasing political tensions across the country.
“This is one of the most unpatriotic things I’ve seen in my lifetime,” Truax told Fox News Digital.
Truax argued that the undermining of the military’s chain of command would cause chaos with troops suddenly questioning orders based on morality and not legality. He said that putting the onus on service members was “not fair to them” because they are facing difficult tasks and have no interest in getting involved in political matters.
SIX DEMOCRATS URGE MILITARY MEMBERS TO ‘REFUSE ILLEGAL ORDERS’ IN VIRAL VIDEO; HEGSETH RESPONDS
The video, which was released last week, featured Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Reps. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., and Jason Crow, D-Colo. All the lawmakers in the video have various service backgrounds, including the Army, Navy, Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency.
In the video, which has since gone viral, the lawmakers tell U.S. military members that they can and must reject illegal orders, something Truax said service members know. He argued that the Democrats in the video were “blurring lines.”
“You’ve got the situation where you have elected officials that are basically telling our people in uniform that if you don’t think that this is a good idea, you don’t have to do it, which, you know, they’re never required to obey illegal orders. Everybody knows that. They’re blurring lines here,” Truax said.
He added that this kind of message causes “an incredible amount of apprehension” for those on the ground who may second guess orders that are lawful. Truax also underscored the importance of the chain of command within the military, saying that without it there would be “a lot of chaos.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth expressed a similar sentiment on Tuesday, writing in a post on X, “The despicable video urging [DOW] troops to ‘refuse illegal orders’ may seem harmless to civilians — but it carries a different weight inside the military.”
“In the military, vague rhetoric and ambiguity undermines trust, creates hesitation in the chain of command and erodes cohesion. The military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. It does not need political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command,” Hegseth added.
,DEMOCRATIC SENATOR ‘NOT AWARE’ IF TRUMP GAVE ANY ILLEGAL MILITARY ORDERS AMID VIDEO CONTROVERSY
When asked about those who defend the lawmakers based on their service background, Truax said that their experience in uniform makes the video even worse.
“They should know better,” he said. “This is all about political power. I think that everybody in there. They know they’re losing political power over time here because the country is moving in a direction that’s more conservative and less chaos and less lawlessness. So, they’re trying to find ways to maintain their political power.”
Truax argued that the video is especially dangerous due to the volatile political environment, pointing to the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the near assassination of Trump. He accused the lawmakers in the video of stoking the flames of division.
“We’ve got a lot of political violence already. The president was almost killed. Charlie Kirk was assassinated. We just have a lot of stuff going on right now, and then you got these guys coming out and doing this. You know, I think most Americans would say this is not a good idea. We don’t need more fuel on the fire with what these guys are doing,” Truax told Fox News Digital.
He didn’t hold back in his criticism of the lawmakers, calling them a “sophisticated D.C. cocktail version of Antifa.” He said that they are trying to “fray the country further.”
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Despite saying the video’s message could cause chaos in the ranks, Truax said he does not think active duty service members will be impacted by the fallout. However, he thinks that the National Guard and reservists will face issues when they “find themselves in difficult situations in some city, following legal and lawful orders.”
Truax warned that the U.S. could be repeating past mistakes by politicizing the military, drawing comparison to how troops were treated after the Vietnam War. After fighting an intense war, soldiers faced immense criticism upon their return home. Truax shared an example that hit close to home. His father-in-law served in Vietnam and earned a Purple Heart before going on to serve in the Army for 20 years.
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“When he came back it wasn’t pretty. And he’s a young guy, wounded, serving his country,” Truax said. “He still thinks about it. He’s fine now, but it was a terrible time.”
He said that “nobody wants” to see soldiers sent to do difficult and dangerous tasks only to come back and find themselves being politically targeted for serving their country.
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