US grand jury rejects charges against 6 Democrat lawmakers Trump wanted jailed
In a rare rebuke, a federal grand jury refuses to indict veteran lawmakers whom Trump branded as ‘traitors’
Federal prosecutors failed to bring charges Tuesday against six Democratic lawmakers who urged service members to refuse illegal orders, outraging US President Donald Trump, who had called for jail time, US media reported.
A federal grand jury composed of local citizens in Washington denied the Justice Department’s attempts to indict the lawmakers who posted a short video urging conscientious service, sources told The New York Times and The Washington Post.
In the video posted to social media in November, the members of Congress called on the military to “refuse illegal orders”.
It featured Arizona’s Mark Kelly, Michigan’s Elissa Slotkin, Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire.
In a statement posted to her Instagram account Tuesday night, Slotkin reiterated that the 90-second video “simply quoted the law”, adding: “Hopefully, this ends this politicised investigation for good”.
“I will not be intimidated for a single second by the Trump Administration or Justice Department lawyers who tried and failed to indict me today,” Deluzio said in his own statement posted to X.