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Democratic officials voiced outrage after former President Donald Trump alleged a coalition of Democratic legislators of being "betrayers" and asserted they should be arrested and punished "by death" following their publication of a contentious video.

The Message That Triggered the Controversy

The video footage, shared on Tuesday, includes six Democratic lawmakers who in the past worked in defense or intelligence capacities.

"Like us, you all swore an oath to defend and support this national charter," the officials stated in the brief video. "Currently, the dangers to our constitution aren't just from abroad, but from right here at home. Our laws are clear, you can reject unlawful commands, you can refuse illegal orders, you have to reject unlawful commands. No one has to follow commands that violate the statutes or our constitution."

Donald Trump's Angry Reply

The recorded statement seemed to provoke a angry reaction from the ex-president.

On Thursday morning, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "This constitutes SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these betrayers to our United States should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL."

In a separate post, he declared: "This represents really serious, and Harmful to our Country. Their statements cannot be permitted to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???"

In a third post, he added: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, liable by DEATH!" He also shared a declaration that read: "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!"

Democratic Representatives Answer

Following Trump's statements on that day, Top Democrats published a joint announcement censuring the remarks.

"Political violence has no position in the United States," they declared. "Congress members who appeared in the video all worked our United States with exceptional loyalty and excellence. We clearly censure Donald Trump's appalling and dangerous death threats against elected officials, and urge GOP representatives to vigorously do the same."

The Democratic leaders also mentioned that they had been in contact with law enforcement "to ensure the security of these officials and their relatives."

"Donald Trump must right away delete these extreme social media posts and withdraw his aggressive rhetoric before he leads to violence," the declaration added.

Lawmakers' Strong Reaction

The officials who were featured in the video also published a statement.

"We identify as ex-military personnel and security experts who care for this country and swore an oath to protect and uphold the constitution of the United States," they declared. "That oath continues forever, and we aim to keep it. No intimidation, intimidation, or call for violence will deter us from that sacred obligation."

"The most revealing aspect is that the president deems it punishable by execution for us to reiterate the legal requirements," they stated. "Armed forces members should understand that we have their backs as they fulfill their pledge to the constitution and duty to adhere to only lawful orders. It is not only the proper thing to do, but also our responsibility."

They continued: "Every American must join forces and denounce the former president's calls for our death and ideological conflict. This is a time for principled stance."

Further Partisan Reactions

The Senate Democratic leader also censured Trump's comments and posted on social media: "Let's be crystal clear: the former president is calling for the execution of elected officials."

He added: "This is an outright THREAT. All senators, every Representative, all citizens – without partisan consideration – should censure this right away and without qualification."

The Republican House speaker defended Trump's allegation that the Democrats had participated in "sedition", labeling the video as "extremely improper", stating: "This represents very risky, you have prominent officials of the legislature telling soldiers to ignore directives, I think that represents without precedent in American history."

The GOP official also reportedly informed media outlets that in what he reviewed of Trump's messages, Trump was "defining the violation of sedition" but that "lawyers have to examine the language and determine all that."

Administration Response

During a White House press conference on Thursday afternoon, when asked by a journalist, "Does the president want to kill elected officials?", the administration spokesperson responded: "Certainly not."

"We should understand about what the former president is reacting to," the official said. "There are current representatives of the US Congress who worked together to arrange a recorded statement to personnel of the national defense, to active duty service members urging them to defy the president's lawful orders."

She added: "The integrity of our armed forces depends on the command structure, and if that system is compromised, it can lead to fatalities, it can cause disorder, and that's what these elected officials ... are basically promoting."