Anne Laurie posted this in her morning thread, but I want to highlight it here without any distractions.
We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community.
The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.
Don’t give up the ship.
— Senator Elissa Slotkin (@slotkin.senate.gov) November 18, 2025 at 7:31 AM
Even if you’re not on social media, you can share this link with anyone via text or email.
Their message is clear. It’s not just that you can refuse an illegal order, you must refuse an illegal order.
Do I have the right to refuse illegal orders?
Yes! All members of the military have the right, and in some cases have the duty, to refuse illegal orders. Your oath is to the Constitution (which incorporates international treaties ratified by the U.S. on human rights and the law of war), not to the Commander-In-Chief or to any other individual in the chain of command.
Under the UCMJ, a servicemember may be punished by court-martial for failure to obey any lawfulgeneral order or regulation. The UCMJ does not define what “lawful” means. The Rules for Courts-Martial say that an order is lawful, “unless it is contrary to the Constitution, the laws of the United States, or lawful superior orders or for some other reason is beyond the authority of the official issuing it.” The Rules go on to say that, “This inference does not apply to a patently illegal order, such as one that directs the commission of a crime.” Finally, the Rules say, “The lawfulness of an order is a question of law to be determined by the military judge.” That determination normally can be made only after a servicemember refuses or obeys an order, in a court martial or a war crimes tribunal.
So of course, this administration is targeting the lawmakers who called for military members and the CIA to refuse illegal orders.
U.S. Deputy AG Todd Blanche said a federal investigation is warranted into the six Democratic lawmakers who called for military members and the CIA to “refuse illegal orders” from President Trump.
(CNN) Democratic lawmakers urge troops to disobey illegal orders
In a video posted on X Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, Rep. Jason Crow, Rep. Maggie Goodlander, Rep. Chris Deluzio and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan said the “threats to our Constitution” are coming “from right here at home,” and repeatedly urged the military and intelligence community to “refuse illegal orders.”
“No one has to carry out orders that violate the law, or our Constitution,” they said. “Know that we have your back… don’t give up the ship.”
In the video, the lawmakers don’t specify which orders service members have received, or might receive, that could be illegal.
Service members are required to follow only lawful orders in accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Following an order that might violate the law could open service members up to prosecution, as legal precedent holds that receiving an order alone isn’t a defense, colloquially known as the “Nuremberg defense” as it was deployed by senior members of Adolph Hitler’s leadership team during legal proceedings after World War II.
The video comes as US military officials, including the commander of US Southern Command, and US allies, including the UK, have questioned the legality of a series of military strikes targeting suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The attacks have killed at least 83 people since September. The Trump administration is also fighting multiple court cases over its use of troops in American cities, raising legal questions about how the military can be used on US soil.
Republican lawmakers quickly pushed back on the video. Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn told Fox on Wednesday, “It is inconceivable that you would have elected officials that are saying to uniformed members of the military who have taken an oath that they would defy the orders that they have been given to execute their mission.”
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told Fox on Tuesday that “the senators and congressmen who made a video suggesting our men and women in the military do not have to follow unlawful orders have yet to show us an example. They owe it to our men and women in the military to be specific about orders issued by President Trump or those under his command that they believe to be unlawful.”
The Defense Department is relying on a Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinion to legally justify the US military’s strikes against boats allegedly carrying drugs. The OLC opinion includes a list of 24 different cartels and criminal organizations based around Latin America it says the administration is authorized to target, CNN has reported.
But lawmakers who have been briefed by the Pentagon about the operation have said that military officials have acknowledged not knowing the individual identities of those they are targeting before killing them. Instead, the officials said they need only establish that those on board the vessels are affiliated with cartels. Lawyers inside the Pentagon have raised legal concerns about the US military strikes, CNN has reported.
Military lawyers have been conspicuously absent from recent congressional briefings on the operation, lawmakers have said. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth fired the top uniformed lawyers for the Army and Air Force earlier this year, telling reporters afterwards that he viewed them as potential “roadblocks to orders that are given by a commander in chief.”
To date, key lawmakers have also not received a single briefing from members of the intelligence community on its role in the boat strikes —despite submitting multiple requests for information and the Trump administration publicly citing intelligence that those killed were known drug traffickers, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Formal requests, including at least one sent to Trump’s Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, have gone unanswered, the source added, noting lawmakers have received briefings only from officials at the State Department and Department of Defense so far.
They are weaponizing every part of government, and sharing good information may be the best defense for people who care about their country.
Seems to me that this would be a great thing for us to call every elected official about.
TODAY.
It also seems to me that with Epstein, we have just got a very loud message – politicians pay attention when people rise up.
Making a phone call is the simplest and lowest risk rising up there is. We can potentially save lives by calling.