A grand jury declined to indict six Democrat lawmakers accused of “seditious behavior” for releasing a video urging service members to refuse illegal orders. President Trump Calls For 6 Democrats To Be Arrested For “Seditious Behavior” Federal prosecutors sought an indictment of the lawmakers featured in the video, including Elissa Slotkin, Mark Kelly, Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, and Chrissy Houlahan. “I think that anytime you’re obstructing law enforcement and getting in the way of these sensitive operations, it’s a very serious thing, and it probably is a crime. And, yeah, they probably should be indicted,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said after the grand jury's decision, according to The Hill. A grand jury has refused to indict Democratic lawmakers in connection with a video in which they urged military members to resist “illegal orders.” https://t.co/xkX2DqZdsQ — The Associated Press (@AP) February 11, 2026 The Hill explained further: The Justice Department’s legal effort against the six has been lambasted by Democrats and some Republicans who see the move as politically motivated, and on Tuesday a grand jury blocked the indictment. Prosecutors failed to meet a low bar of “probable cause” to convince a majority of the grand jury to secure an indictment. Separately, the Pentagon is looking to censure Kelly, a retired Navy captain, and lower his retirement rank, a move that could affect his military pension. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Kelly said Johnson should “go back to his office and seriously think about what he says publicly,” in response to the Speaker’s comments. “He’s the Speaker of the House of Representatives. He’s one of the most powerful people in this country. And if he’s going to side at every moment with this administration when they are clearly not on the side of the Constitution, I think he’s got to really evaluate why he is there and who he is really serving,” Kelly said. Slotkin, who spoke alongside Kelly, said Johnson “should take a beat and remember why he’s there and that our Founding Fathers designed this as a separate branch of government to provide checks and balances on the president, not salute like a good boy and do what he says every single time.” "Today, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro attempted to persuade a Grand Jury to indict me. This was in response to me organizing a 90-second video that simply quoted the law. Pirro did this at the direction of President Trump, who said repeatedly that I should be investigated, arrested, and hanged for sedition. Today, it was a grand jury of anonymous American citizens who upheld the rule of law and determined this case should not proceed. Hopefully, this ends this politicized investigation for good," Slotkin said. "But today wasn’t just an embarrassing day for the Administration. It was another sad day for our country. Because whether or not Pirro succeeded is not the point. It's that President Trump continues to weaponize our justice system against his perceived enemies. It’s the kind of thing you see in a foreign country, not in the United States we know and love. No matter what President Trump and Pirro continue to do with this case, tonight we can score one for the Constitution, our freedom of speech, and the rule of law," she continued. Today, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro attempted to persuade a Grand Jury to indict me. This was in response to me organizing a 90-second video that simply quoted the law. Pirro did this at the direction of President Trump, who said repeatedly that I should be investigated, arrested,… — Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) February 11, 2026 "President Trump directed the Justice Department to investigate me, arrest me, and hang me simply for doing my job. Today, an American grand jury honored our Constitution by standing up to an outrageous abuse of presidential power and taxpayer dollars. No matter the threats, I will keep doing my job and upholding my oath to our Constitution," Goodlander commented. President Trump directed the Justice Department to investigate me, arrest me, and hang me simply for doing my job. Today, an American grand jury honored our Constitution by standing up to an outrageous abuse of presidential power and taxpayer dollars. No matter the threats,… — Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (@RepGoodlander) February 11, 2026 NBC News has more: The lawmakers, all of whom served in the military or in intelligence roles, said in the video that the Trump administration was pitting members of the military and the intelligence communities “against American citizens.” They then pointed out that public servants can refuse illegal orders. “Now, more than ever, the American people need you,” the lawmakers say in the video. “Don’t give up the ship." Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, members of the military are obliged to obey only lawful orders and must refuse those that are manifestly illegal. Trump accused the Democratic lawmakers on his social media platform, Truth Social, of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” at the time. Legal experts broadly agree that prosecuting members of Congress for their political speech would raise serious First Amendment concerns. In addition to the First Amendment issues, the “speech or debate” clause of the Constitution gives lawmakers on Capitol Hill immunity from prosecution for acts taken within the legislative sphere, a fundamental check on the constitutional separation of powers. It was not immediately clear what charge or charges prosecutors sought against the lawmakers. A federal judge in a separate case is expected to rule in the coming days on the legality of actions taken by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against Kelly over his participation in the video. Hegseth issued a formal letter of censure last month and is seeking to reduce Kelly's retirement rank as a Navy captain.