US President Donald Trump says six Democratic politicians, all of whom are veterans, have committed seditious behaviour punishable by death after they urged members of the military not to obey unlawful orders.
In a video posted on X, the Democratic politicians urge current members of the US military and spy agencies to refuse illegal orders and to defend the constitution.
[EL VIDEO: Slotkin]The video was posted by Senator Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA officer, on November 18 and has so far been viewed more than 12 million times.
On his Truth Social page, Mr Trump responded by saying "this is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country".
"Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???
"SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!"
Mr Trump also reposted a number of comments on his page about the video, including one calling for the politicians to be hanged.
Some Democrats were quick to condemn the president's posts, with Senator Chris Coons urging Republicans to "swiftly condemn this".
"The administration should never try to force our servicemembers to carry out an illegal order," he said.
"Calling for the execution of senators and Congressmembers for reminding our troops of that is chilling behavior."
Democrats and Republicans clash over video
Those who appear in the video alongside Ms Slotkin include former astronaut and navy captain Senator Mark Kelly, as well as US House representatives Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan, and Jason Crow, all of whom have previous experience in either the military or intelligence community.
In the video, they said: "This administration is putting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens."
"Right now, the threats to our constitution aren't just coming from abroad, but from right here at home," they added.
"You can refuse illegal orders," Senator Kelly said.
The video has sparked backlash from some Republicans, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the six politicians suffered from "Stage 4 TDS", referring to "Trump Derangement Syndrome".
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller accused them of inciting an "insurrection".
In response, Senator Kelly said he knew "the difference between defending our Constitution and an insurrection, even if you don't".
A group of more than 300 former national security officials calling themselves the "Steady State" said in an open letter on Thursday that they strongly supported the six Democrats.
Trump confronts increasing domestic pressure
Since being inaugurated to his second term, Mr Trump has deployed National Guard troops to several cities controlled by Democrats.
The move to deploy reservists to American cities has been criticised as an abuse of power.
In September, a judge ruled that the Trump administration "wilfully" ignored the law when it ordered National Guard troops to Los Angeles earlier this year during immigration raids and subsequent protests.
Since first deploying troops to LA, the president has also sent forces to other major American cities, including Chicago, Washington DC and Memphis.
The Trump administration has also faced criticism over strikes on what it claims are vessels smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Carribean Sea.
More than 80 people have been killed in those military strikes since September, and experts say the strikes are illegal and amount to extrajudicial killings even if they target known traffickers.
Mr Trump's comments come as the US president faces increasing pressure domestically on a number of fronts, including sharply declining personal approval ratings and criticism over his handling of the Epstein files.
After changing tack on his long-held opposition to releasing files relating to the convicted sex offender, Mr Trump signed a bill on Wednesday into law requiring his attorney-general, Pam Bondi, to release all unclassified records within 30 days.
