Republican strategist Scott Jennings pushed back sharply during a CNN segment after anchor Kasie Hunt questioned whether the FBI should investigate six Democratic lawmakers who told U.S. troops they could refuse “illegal” orders from President Donald Trump.
The Pentagon opened an inquiry Monday into Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly after he appeared in a video with five other lawmakers telling service members they are obligated to reject unlawful commands.
The video, which was intended to criticize Trump’s foreign policy approach, has sparked intense backlash among Republicans.
During a panel on CNN’s “The Arena,” Hunt asked Jennings whether the same investigative standards should apply to Republicans who make political videos.
Jennings replied that the real issue is not the Pentagon inquiry itself, but the Democrats’ decision to publicly imply that the commander-in-chief was prepared to give illegal military orders.
“This video was created to plant the idea that the president had given or was preparing to give an illegal order,” Jennings said. He added that the controversy appears tied to Trump’s Venezuela policy. Jennings noted that Rep. Elissa Slotkin referenced a Hollywood movie when asked to justify the video, which he said only weakened her argument.
Jennings emphasized that Republicans are furious over what they see as an irresponsible accusation aimed at undermining the president’s authority.
“Most Republicans I know are extremely angry that Democrats publicly suggested the commander-in-chief was giving or preparing to give an illegal order,” Jennings said. “They view it as reckless and dangerous.”
He acknowledged that some Republicans are cautious about involving federal law enforcement, while others believe an investigation could be warranted depending on the facts.
“Some Republicans want to be careful about the FBI angle. Others say if something happened, it deserves scrutiny,” Jennings said. “But politically, the reaction is overwhelming anger.”
Sen. Slotkin, who helped produce the video, admitted Sunday that she could not name a single illegal order from the Trump administration to justify urging military disobedience.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth referred to the lawmakers as the “seditious six” in a post on X and said Kelly, as a retired Navy officer, remains subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.