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Democratic officials demonstrated fury after Donald Trump alleged a group of Democratic representatives of being "turncoats" and declared they should be taken into custody and punished "through capital punishment" following their posting of a disputed video.

The Content That Sparked the Dispute

The recorded message, shared on Tuesday, includes six Democratic congress members who previously acted in armed forces or security capacities.

"Similar to us, you all took an pledge to defend and support this constitution," the representatives stated in the 90-second video. "At present, the risks to our democratic foundation aren't just from abroad, but from domestically. Our laws are unambiguous, you can refuse illegal orders, you can decline improper directives, you should reject illegal orders. No one has to follow orders that contravene the legal system or our founding principles."

Donald Trump's Incensed Reaction

The recorded statement reportedly prompt a angry response from the former president.

On the following morning, Trump published on Truth Social: "This represents SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these turncoats to our United States should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL."

In an additional message, he wrote: "This constitutes really concerning, and Risky to our United States. Their statements cannot be enabled to persist. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???"

In a subsequent message, he added: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" He also shared a comment that said: "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!"

Democratic Representatives React

Following Trump's remarks on that day, House Democratic leader published a joint declaration denouncing the statements.

"Political violence has no role in America," they wrote. "Elected officials who appeared in the video all served our nation with great national pride and honor. We strongly censure Donald Trump's appalling and risky calls for execution against elected officials, and appeal to Republican lawmakers to vigorously do the same."

The Democratic leaders also stated that they had been in communication with law enforcement "to ensure the safety of these representatives and their families."

"Donald Trump must right away take down these extreme social media posts and recant his violent rhetoric before he gets someone killed," the announcement stated.

Lawmakers' Defiant Reaction

The lawmakers who participated in the video also published a statement.

"We identify as former service members and security experts who care for this United States and took an pledge to safeguard and uphold the constitution of the United States," they said. "That oath continues forever, and we intend to keep it. No warning, pressure, or promotion of aggression will stop us from that fundamental duty."

"The significant point is that the ex-president views it subject to penalty by capital punishment for us to restate the statutes," they stated. "Our service members should know that we have their support as they fulfill their pledge to the national charter and responsibility to follow only lawful orders. It is not only the proper thing to do, but also our obligation."

They stated: "All citizens must unite and condemn the ex-president's demands for our death and political violence. This is a time for principled stance."

Further Partisan Responses

The Senate Democratic leader also denounced Trump's statements and shared on digital platforms: "It's important to understand: the former president is calling for the capital punishment of public representatives."

He stated: "This is an outright THREAT. Every Senator, every Representative, every American – irrespective of political affiliation – should condemn this right away and without qualification."

The GOP leader supported Trump's claim that the Democrats had participated in "sedition", describing the video as "highly unsuitable", adding: "This represents very harmful, you have leading members of the government advising soldiers to defy commands, I think that's unprecedented in US history."

The Republican leader also according to sources stated to media outlets that in what he read of Trump's posts, Trump was "defining the offense of rebellion" but that "lawyers have to analyze the terminology and determine all that."

White House Response

During a administration briefing on Thursday afternoon, when questioned by a media member, "Does the president want to kill congressional representatives?", the executive branch representative responded: "Certainly not."

"It's important to note about what the president is responding to," the spokesperson stated. "There are current representatives of the American legislature who conspired to arrange a digital communication to personnel of the US military, to serving soldiers urging them to disobey the executive's legal commands."

She added: "The sanctity of our defense system depends on the chain of command, and if that structure is broken, it can lead to fatalities, it can cause disorder, and that's what these members of Congress ... are basically encouraging."