Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) (Photo: Screen capture)
A Michigan Republican Congresswoman is telling Democrats that bomb threats and public calls for their death are "consequences" they face as a result of their video reminding the military that they don't have to follow unlawful orders.
In an interview with CNN on Monday, Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), who also serves as the House Republican Conference Chair, said that bomb threats might be wrong, but Democrats "started it" with their video.
Last week, former military and intelligence members who were elected to Congress released a video where they said simply that service members don't have to follow orders that they believe are unlawful. The members didn't say President Donald Trump's name, nor did they cite any specific orders he or anyone else had given. They only repeated that the military swears an oath to the U.S. Constitution and pledges to follow the law.
McClain said she agreed with Trump, who she claimed "brought attention to the seriousness of the video."
"Think of what the Democrat senators are doing," McClain said. "[They're] telling rank-and-file military members that they can obey unlawful orders. You don't need to follow your commander-in-chief."
McClain's statement was a misquote of the video: Democrats never said members can "obey unlawful orders." Instead, they said members can "refuse illegal orders."
"That is extremely dangerous," McClain said, citing "national security."
"And for Democrats to put out this video as an obstructionist just doesn't make sense. That is not what is supposed to happen," she said.
CNN co-host Pamela Brown said that she understood McClain disagreed with the video, but wondered if the Republican lawmaker condemned threats of violence against the officials. Brown specifically pointed to Trump's claim on Truth Social that the video amounted to "sedition" and is punishable by death.
McClain said that violence is never an acceptable response; however, "I think what the president was doing, though, is reminding you of the oath you did take, and there are consequences. So, you can have freedom of speech. But freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. ... So I think everyone focused on you can say whatever you want. Yes, you can, but there are consequences for what you say, and I think that's what he was saying with that message."
Brown asked McClain whether repeating calls for hangings could be dangerous when there are "unhinged" people willing to carry out such violence against the officials.
McClain talked about her own death threats and how awful they are.
"But take a look at who started this," she continued. "Those senators got online and said, 'Hey, go ahead and disobey some orders if you don't agree with them. If you think they're unlawful.'"
Brown mumbled over McClain. The video never says that a service member can randomly disobey orders they disagree with. It specifically cited "illegal orders."
"We've got to stop this Trump derangement syndrome," she later added.
Wolf Blitzer then cut in to confirm, "Should members of the U.S. military or the intelligence community, for that matter, obey what are clearly illegal orders, if, in their mind, what they're being told to do, is something illegal? Should they still go ahead and follow those rules."
McClain implied that the service members couldn't know what was illegal and that it would be nothing more than their opinion.
"You're asking an enlisted person of their opinion of what is legal or illegal. That's a pretty slippery slope," McClain said.