Virginia Republicans presumably will be silent at the latest unhinged, dangerous rhetoric from Trump (in response to several Democrats stating the obvious, which is that servicemembers should ONLY obey lawful orders – something that should go without saying!), and that will really say it all about those Republicans – either cowardly, in agreement with Trump, or both? As for Virginia Democrats, here are some reactions…
Sen. Mark Warner: “Donald Trump is now saying Democratic lawmakers who encouraged servicemembers to follow the law should be put to death. When are Republicans going to grow a spine to call this out?”
Sen. Tim Kaine: “President Trump shared disturbing messages on social media today, including reposting a call for the murder of Democratic lawmakers. This behavior is unhinged, dangerous, and un-American. Will any Republican senators stand up to condemn these statements?”
Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA07): “Trump is no stranger to attacking those who make our country great — whether it’s service members, Gold Star families, or prisoners of war — but this is just beyond the pale.”
“Well, look, I was a former troop commander and a prosecutor as well as legal adviser in the NSC…you cannot litigate those decisions….those are split-second decisions. We expect soldiers, service members to make those decisions. Let me flip that on its ear for just one second. If a soldier was saying, ‘Hey, I was only following orders as their defense for executing an illegal order that resulted in the death of innocent civilians,” which I believe in Venezuela, those operations are in fact highly problematic and likely illegal, you think for a second that they would not be prosecuted for executing those orders just by saying that they they were following orders? No. That is a defense we know in the World War II context with German soldiers absolutely did not work. And so our expectations of our service members are much higher. They’re expected not to follow illegal orders and that they can be held liable if they do.”
Repost by Rep. Don Beyer: House Democrats “‘unequivocally condemn’ Trump’s “death threats’ against a group of House Dem veterans. They say they’ve been in touch w/ the Capitol Police and Sergeant-at-Arms ‘to ensure the safety of these members and their families’.”
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA03): “We must all condemn calls for political violence.”
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Here’s what Trump said…appalling.
And here’s what Trump was reacting to.
Not only *can* servicemembers refuse to carry out illegal orders, they MUST refuse to carry out illegal orders! https://t.co/7oUCraALLG pic.twitter.com/jZfFFrOas3
— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia) November 20, 2025
