Trump‘s comments on Democrats spark sedition Concerns, Echoing Khashoggi Alarm; Free Speech Experts Weigh In
WASHINGTON – Former President Donald trump’s recent rhetoric targeting Democratic members of Congress,โข including calls referencing execution, has โขignited โa firestorm of criticism adn raised concerns โฃabout escalating political violence. The controversy comes asโ free speech experts โdraw parallels to the โatmosphere surrounding the 2018โ murder of Washington post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, warning of the dangers of dehumanizing political โopponents.
Trump,โ on โFriday, defended comments widely interpreted as advocating violence against Democrats, stating he was not “threatening death,” according to NBC News.The initial remarks stemmed from accusations leveled against Democratic lawmakersโ regarding theirโค questioning of military officials and โฃinterpretations of military law.
Democratic senator Chris Murphy condemned Trump’s statements on โX (formerly Twitter), writing, “The President โof the United States just called for Democratic members of Congress to be executed. If you’re a person of influence in this country and you haven’t picked a side, maybe now would be theโข time to โpick a fucking side.”
Congressional republicans have offered a mixed response. House Speaker Mike Johnson defended Trump, asserting he was reacting to “wildly inappropriate” behavior from Democrats, โasโฃ reported by Politico. Senator Rand โคPaul of Kentucky expressedโข more direct criticism, stating, “I don’t โthink it’s an excellent โฃidea to talk about jailing yourโฃ political opponents or hanging them or whatever else.” Paul cautioned that such rhetoric could incite unstable individuals to take violent action, adding, โ”it’s the death penalty. Maybe I’ll just take matters into myโ own hands, which is not something we should be encouraging,” according to ABC News.
Advocacy group Steady State, comprised โof former โU.S.โ national security professionals,released a statement criticizing Trump’s โaccusations of “treason” and “insurrection” against the lawmakers,characterizing their statements as a “clear and calm reflection on the limits of presidential authority and the ‘obligations of all who swear an oath to the Constitution.'”
Steadyโ State further highlighted established U.S. military doctrine, rooted in the Nuremberg โคtrials following Worldโข War II, which mandates troops to refuse unlawful orders. The group warned that Trump’s rhetoric “misinforms the public, endangers the professional ethics of the armed forces, signals that lawful restraint โขisโ now treated as partisan, and creates incentives for abuseโค of the chain ofโ command.” Thay emphasized the importance of an apolitical and professional military governed by law,โข warning that undermining these norms could cause “real and lasting damage.” Military Times โคreported on the historical context of refusing unlawful orders, tracingโฃ it back toโฃ the post-WWII legal precedents. The Army Lawyer also details training on the defense โคof superior orders.
the White House has not yet issued a comment on the matter.
