President Donald Trump renewed his push Thursday to prosecute six Democratic lawmakers over a video reminding service members they must refuse unlawful orders, months after a grand jury rejected an attempt to bring charges over the message.
In a Truth Social post Thursday, Trump wrote, “Will the Seditious Six ever be prosecuted? What they did was a great violation to our Country and its Constitution!”
Trump’s latest post identifies no new evidence and no specific criminal charge, according to live updates from Donny Evans. It is a question, not a filing. No prosecutor has announced new charges. No court has taken new action.
The six lawmakers are Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, and Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, and Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania. All six have military or intelligence backgrounds.
The video at the center of this fight was released in November 2025. In it, the six reminded service members of their duty to refuse unlawful orders. That is a real duty under military law. Service members are required to obey lawful orders, and required to refuse unlawful ones. The video stated that principle. It did not order troops to disobey the president, and it did not name a specific order to refuse.
Trump and his allies have called the video seditious since it appeared. The lawmakers and their supporters say it was a basic civics reminder, not a call to mutiny. That disagreement has not been settled by a court. It has been argued, loudly, on social media for a year.
The administration has already tried to pursue the lawmakers over the video. In February, a federal grand jury declined to return an indictment sought by prosecutors in Washington. A grand jury declining to indict is not a finding that no crime occurred, but it is a serious setback for any prosecution. Prosecutors need a grand jury to bring federal felony charges, and this one said no.
Kelly also faced a separate Pentagon effort to punish him as a retired Navy captain, including proceedings that could reduce his retirement rank and pay. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon issued a preliminary injunction in February blocking the censure and related proceedings. A preliminary injunction is not a final ruling, but it means the judge thought Kelly had a strong enough case to pause the punishment while the case is litigated.
Trump’s post came as part of a broader Thursday barrage on Truth Social, attacking Democrats over what he called massive blue state corruption and crime, and accusing them of using false accusations to deflect. He offered no evidence in that passage to back his claim that Democrats cheated to win the midterms.
Conservatives have a real concern here, and it is worth stating plainly. Elected officials should not use their platforms to undermine the chain of command or encourage troops to second-guess lawful orders. The military runs on discipline, and discipline runs on trust. A video from six Democratic veterans telling troops to think twice about orders lands differently than a classroom lecture on military law.
But there is a line between bad judgment and a crime, and that line matters. Sedition is a specific criminal charge with specific elements. Prosecutors have to prove them, not just assert them. A grand jury already looked at this and declined. If Trump wants a prosecution now, he needs new evidence and a specific charge, not just a new post.
That is the question his own post asks, and so far it has no answer. Will the Seditious Six ever be prosecuted? Based on what we know today, there is no active case, no new evidence, and no new charge. There is a year-old video, a failed grand jury attempt, a blocked Pentagon proceeding, and a president who is still angry about it.
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