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Democratic officials voiced outrage after former President Donald Trump accused a coalition of Democratic representatives of being "turncoats" and declared they should be taken into custody and penalized "through capital punishment" following their publication of a disputed video.

The Message That Sparked the Dispute

The video footage, published on earlier this week, includes six Democratic lawmakers who previously acted in armed forces or defense positions.

"As we did, you all swore an oath to safeguard and defend this constitution," the representatives declared in the short video. "And right now, the risks to our constitution are not only from foreign nations, but from right here at home. Our laws are clear, you can reject improper directives, you can refuse improper directives, you should decline unlawful commands. No one has to carry out directives that violate the statutes or our founding principles."

The Former President's Furious Reply

The video message appeared to provoke a angry response from the former president.

On Thursday morning, Trump posted on Truth Social: "It's called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Nation should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL."

In another post, he wrote: "This constitutes really concerning, and Harmful to our Country. Their statements cannot be enabled to persist. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???"

In a subsequent post, he added: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" He also reposted a declaration that stated: "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!"

Democratic Officials Respond

Following Trump's remarks on Thursday, Top Democrats issued a combined declaration condemning the remarks.

"Political violence has no place in this nation," they declared. "Representatives who were featured in the video all acted our country with exceptional patriotism and honor. We strongly censure Donald Trump's offensive and dangerous death threats against members of Congress, and appeal to Republican lawmakers to vigorously do the same."

The opposition officials also mentioned that they had been in touch with protective services "to ensure the security of these representatives and their relatives."

"Donald Trump must immediately take down these extreme social media posts and retract his aggressive language before he leads to violence," the statement continued.

Representatives' Strong Reaction

The lawmakers who appeared in the video also released a response.

"We serve as former service members and defense specialists who care for this United States and made an vow to defend and uphold the national charter of the United States," they said. "Our pledge continues forever, and we aim to keep it. No intimidation, intimidation, or incitement will stop us from that fundamental obligation."

"What's most telling is that the ex-president views it liable to punishment by capital punishment for us to restate the legal requirements," they stated. "Military personnel should recognize that we have their protection as they carry out their pledge to the founding principles and obligation to adhere to only legal commands. It is not only the proper thing to do, but also our responsibility."

They stated: "Every American must join forces and censure the president's requests for our execution and ideological conflict. This is a period for ethical certainty."

More Partisan Responses

The Democratic Senate minority leader also denounced Trump's remarks and posted on digital platforms: "It's important to understand: the ex-commander in chief is calling for the execution of elected officials."

He continued: "This constitutes an clear THREAT. All senators, every Representative, every American – without partisan consideration – should censure this without delay and absolutely."

The Conservative official supported Trump's allegation that the Democrats had participated in "rebellion", describing the video as "wildly inappropriate", adding: "It is very harmful, you have prominent officials of the government telling military personnel to ignore directives, I think that is unprecedented in US history."

The Conservative representative also allegedly told media outlets that in what he reviewed of Trump's posts, Trump was "describing the offense of treason" but that "lawyers have to parse the wording and decide all that."

Administration Reaction

During a executive branch meeting on later that day, when asked by a media member, "Is the president want to kill members of Congress?", the executive branch representative responded: "No."

"We should understand about what the ex-commander in chief is responding to," the representative stated. "There are active officials of the US Congress who coordinated to arrange a recorded statement to individuals of the national defense, to current military personnel urging them to disobey the executive's proper directives."

She added: "The integrity of our defense system depends on the hierarchy, and if that chain of command is compromised, it can result in fatalities, it can lead to confusion, and precisely what these members of Congress ... are fundamentally promoting."