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Lawmakers from the Democratic party demonstrated outrage after the ex-president alleged a contingent of Democratic legislators of being "traitors" and asserted they should be arrested and sentenced "with execution" following their release of a contentious video.

The Content That Sparked the Controversy

The video footage, shared on Tuesday, features six Democratic congress members who in the past served in defense or intelligence roles.

"Like us, you all took an oath to safeguard and support this founding document," the lawmakers declared in the 90-second video. "And right now, the dangers to our constitution aren't just from abroad, but from domestically. Our statutes are clear, you can decline improper directives, you can refuse improper directives, you must refuse illegal orders. No one has to execute orders that violate the law or our founding principles."

Trump's Incensed Reaction

The recorded statement appeared to trigger a heated response from the former president.

On Thursday morning, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "It's called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these turncoats to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL."

In an additional publication, he stated: "This is really serious, and Risky to our United States. Their statements cannot be permitted to persist. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???"

In a subsequent publication, he continued: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, liable by DEATH!" He also reposted a comment that stated: "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!"

Opposition Representatives Answer

Following Trump's remarks on Thursday, Top Democrats published a unified statement denouncing the remarks.

"Political violence has no place in America," they declared. "Representatives who participated in the video all served our nation with great patriotism and honor. We unequivocally condemn Donald Trump's offensive and risky calls for execution against elected officials, and urge GOP representatives to strongly do the same."

The party representatives also mentioned that they had been in touch with security officials "to ensure the safety of these officials and their families."

"Donald Trump must immediately delete these extreme social media posts and retract his aggressive language before he gets someone killed," the statement stated.

Representatives' Defiant Response

The lawmakers who were featured in the video also released a response.

"We identify as former service members and national security professionals who love this country and made an vow to defend and support the founding document of the United States," they stated. "That oath is permanent, and we aim to maintain it. No warning, coercion, or promotion of aggression will prevent us from that sacred duty."

"What's most telling is that the former president views it liable to punishment by execution for us to restate the law," they added. "Our service members should know that we have their protection as they carry out their oath to the founding principles and duty to adhere to only lawful orders. It is not only the right thing to do, but also our obligation."

They added: "The entire nation must unite and censure the president's calls for our execution and ideological conflict. This is a time for ethical certainty."

More Political Reactions

The Democratic Senate minority leader also condemned Trump's remarks and published on online networks: "We must be absolutely clear: the President of the United States is demanding the execution of public representatives."

He stated: "This is an outright THREAT. Each congressional member, all representatives, every American – regardless of party – should denounce this right away and without qualification."

The Republican House speaker defended Trump's assertion that the Democrats had been involved in "rebellion", labeling the video as "extremely improper", stating: "This represents very harmful, you have prominent officials of the legislature advising soldiers to ignore directives, I think that is historic in American history."

The Republican leader also according to sources told media outlets that in what he examined of Trump's posts, Trump was "describing the violation of rebellion" but that "lawyers have to examine the language and establish all that."

Executive Branch Statement

During a executive branch meeting on later that day, when inquired by a journalist, "Does the president want to execute congressional representatives?", the administration spokesperson replied: "Certainly not."

"We should understand about what the former president is responding to," the representative stated. "We see active officials of the federal government who coordinated to arrange a video message to individuals of the US military, to active duty service members encouraging them to defy the executive's proper directives."

She said: "The purity of our defense system relies on the command structure, and if that chain of command is compromised, it can result in casualties, it can lead to confusion, and that's what these elected officials ... are basically promoting."