Republican combat veterans in Congress are urging service members to uphold law and order in response to a video from Democratic lawmakers cautioning troops against carrying out “illegal” orders.
According to Fox News, a combat veteran, Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, appeared in a Republican-produced video urging service members to reject the guidance issued in the Democrats’ message.
“I’ve led troops in combat, and I’ve seen the consequences when orders aren’t followed,” Nunn said Tuesday on “Hannity.” “Our service members cannot face that kind of risk today.”
Republicans argue that the video risks undermining the military chain of command, while Democrats insist they were merely reminding troops of their duty not to follow unlawful directives.
Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., a Gulf War veteran, sharply criticized Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., who appeared in the Democrats’ video.
“What he said was egregious for multiple reasons,” McCormick told “Hannity.” “I thought it was very dishonest of him to say, ‘We have your back.’ No, they don’t,” he added, calling the video “absolutely political.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has called for an investigation into Kelly’s role, and the FBI confirmed it is scheduling interviews with the six Democratic lawmakers who participated.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who posted the video, responded on X, saying, “The President directing the FBI to target us is exactly why we made this video in the first place. He believes in weaponizing the federal government against his perceived enemies and does not believe laws apply to him or his Cabinet.”
Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Dakota Meyer also weighed in, calling the video “unacceptable” and warning it could have “catastrophic” consequences.
“The question that needs to be asked to all of them is, do you just not trust our men and women in uniform anymore? Is that the issue or is it the fact that you don’t like what the president’s doing?” Meyer said on “The Story” on Tuesday.
The dispute highlights ongoing tension over civilian oversight of the military, with Republicans framing the Democrats’ video as a threat to discipline, while Democrats insist they are protecting service members from unlawful commands.
