A federal grand jury in Washington refused to bring criminal charges against six Democratic lawmakers who called on the military not to obey "illegal orders." The decision was a major defeat for the Trump administration's Justice Department, which sought to qualify the politicians' actions as incitement to rebellion. This was reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
The case was based on a video address by senators and congressmen who have experience serving in the Armed Forces or intelligence. Prosecutors tried to incriminate Mark Kelly, Elissa Slotkin, and others for violating the law on interfering with army discipline. However, the grand jury did not find any crime in reminding soldiers of their duty to uphold the Constitution, not illegal instructions.
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Such an outcome is rare for the federal system, where prosecutors usually easily obtain approval for indictments. This decision effectively halted the administration's attempt to apply strict legal norms against opposition politicians for their public rhetoric.
Political context and parties' reactions
Democrats called the Justice Department's actions political persecution aimed at intimidating White House critics. President Donald Trump had previously repeatedly called the behavior of these lawmakers "treasonous," especially amid the use of the military and National Guard to conduct large-scale immigration raids.