Speaker 1: Look, people are fed up. We talk about this all
the time, but every time the Trump administration does something insane, crazy, stupid,
more and more people question what can they actually do
to stand up to Trump. Welcome back to The Michael
Cone Show on our continued journey to half a million subscribers.
Let's get there at least by New Year's fourteen thousand
is all we need. We picked up over one thousand
new subscribers just yesterday alone. So hit subscribe, watch, comment,
and share. Because this stupidity it's gonna stop. So this week,
this week alone, six Democratic lawmakers who actually served in
either the military or the intelligence community. They posted a
video telling their still serving colleagues to refuse illegal orders.
Now the video has caused quite a stir, especially within MAGA.
Let me show you the video. Play the clip.
Speaker 2: Alissa Hockins, Senator Mark Kelly, Representative Chris Stluzios, Congressman Madgie Goodlanders,
Representative Chrissy Hulahan, Congressman Jason Crowe.
Speaker 1: I was a captain in the United States.
Speaker 3: Navy, former CIA officer, former Navy, former paratrooper and Army ranger,
former intelligence officer.
Speaker 4: Former Air Force.
Speaker 2: We want to speak directly to members of the military.
Speaker 4: And the intelligence community to take risks each day to
keep Americans safe.
Speaker 2: We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now.
Speaker 1: Americans trust their military, with that trust is at risk.
Speaker 2: This administration is pitting our uniform military.
Speaker 1: And intelligence community professionals.
Speaker 2: Against American citizens like us. You all swore an oath.
Speaker 4: To protect and defend this constitution.
Speaker 1: Right now, the threats to our constitution aren't just coming
from abroad, but from right here at home.
Speaker 5: Our laws are clear.
Speaker 3: You can refuse illegal orders.
Speaker 2: You can refuse illegal orders.
Speaker 1: You must refuse illegal orders.
Speaker 2: No one has to carry out orders that violate the
law or our constitution.
Speaker 3: We know this is hard and that it's a difficult
time to be a public servant.
Speaker 1: But whether you're serving in the CIA.
Speaker 3: The Army, or Navy, the Air Force, your vigilance is critical.
Speaker 1: And know that we have your back because now more
than ever.
Speaker 4: The American people need you.
Speaker 1: We need you to stand up for our laws, our constitution,
and who we are as Americans.
Speaker 2: Go give up, don't give up, don't give up, don't
give up the ship.
Speaker 1: And I'm Michael Cohen, and I approve that message. Now,
look As expected, many news outlets are reporting on this video.
You can only imagine. Let me show you, for example,
what the New York Times said in it. They turn
around and they write, Democratic lawmakers tell military to refuse
illegal orders. Six lawmakers, who all served in the military
or the intelligence community, release the message in a video.
Trump administration sharply criticized the effort. Further, it turns on
and says the Democratic lawmaker's message did not focus on
a specific order or scenario in quotes, we know you
are under enormous stress and pressure right now, they said.
This administration is pitting our uniform military and intelligence community
against American citizens. Miss Slotkin has repeatedly raised concerns, most
notably during a hearing this summer with Defense Secretary Pete
Hegseth that President Trump might deploy active duty US military
troops to American cities to quell protests. And finally, it says,
she reminded mister Hegseth that one of his predecessors, Defense
Secretary Mark T. Esper wrote in his memoir that he
had been asked by mister Trump during his first term
why the military could not just shoot protesters in Washington
in the legs. Mister Hegseth laughed and suggested that the
scenario mister Esper outlined was implausible. Now, let me show
you the Washington Examine, a much more conservative news organization.
They report it on it as well, with this headline
in it says, Democratic veterans in Congress urge service members
to refuse unspecified, unlawful orders. Now, I don't have to
tell you Trump reacted to that headline on truth social
Let me show you what he had to say. It's
called seditious behavior at the highest level. Each one of
these traders to our country should be arrested and put
on trial. Their words cannot be allowed to stand. We
won't have a country anymore. An example must be set
President DJT. Now, let me be very clear. There's something
called the First Amendment. You certainly have a right to
express yourself. You have a right to express yourself, especially
when accuracy is on your side. You want to bring
a lawsuit against him, You want to call them trade.
You want to see if you can't have them arrested
and tried, go for it. Just imagine imagine the outcome
of that case. Imagine what would happen. Let's take it
Let's just take it to two ways. If it hypothetically
they get arrested and they get convicted, that means not
one of you. What I'm doing right now would subject
me to yet another prison stint. Anything that you say
that's derogatory towards this administration would send you to the
pokey as well. And if it didn't yet again, it
would show the authoritarianistic administration's desires, and that is not
going to again bode well for them in the twenty
twenty six midterm elections. Now, Trump continued his rant about
the reporting, even reposting. Imagine the President of the United
States reposting over a dozen truth social post hosts from
random supporters saying vile shit about Democrats. Let me just
show you a few. In the very first one, it says,
this is really bad and dangerous to our country. Their
words cannot be allowed to stand. Seditious behavior from traders,
Lock them up. President djt in it turns out and
said it's called a seditious conspiracy and every one of
them should be frog marched out of their homes at
three am, with Fox News cameras filming the whole thing.
Another person turns around says domestic terrorist Democrats, always causing
chaos and destruction, destroying people's lives. Yet another earl thirty
four saying anything these traders disagree with is what they
consider an illegal order. They are all a disgrace to
their uniforms. Another turns around and says the Dems are
getting closer and closer to being on their way out. Finally,
hang them, George Washington Wood, I mean we are up.
I'm sorry. There's one more indict all of them from
Sandra Penn. Let me be very clear about something each
and every one of these. First of all, you don't
know if they're bots. You don't know if they are
I don't know, part of a bot farm that is
there to help promote the nonsense that comes out on
true social specifically on the President's account. We're now sitting
in a place where your rights, including these seven idiots,
your rights are being questioned. The fact that you have
half a dozen people who are in the military or
intelligence community turning around and saying that many of the
actions that are being asked of the military in their
opinion First Amendment right free speech, in their opinion, are illegal,
and they are telling them not to do it. Would
it be any different if a police officer turned around,
made a tape and said to other police officers, you know,
if you see somebody stealing a bicycle, don't shoot them, right,
Or if somebody goes to a candy store and takes
a piece of candy to try it out, right, don't
hit them in the head with a billy club. I mean,
would that not be the same thing. Of course, I'm
trying to be sarcastic, and I'm trying to create an
analogy that's just batshit crazy. But is it any more
batshit crazy than wanting to lock them up, wanting to
hang them, wanting to frog march them out at three
o'clock in the morning with Fox News cameras there, or
for what for telling somebody, well, you know what, maybe
the orders that you're being given are illegal, institutional an American. Now,
of course, Trump's Lackey's they've also taken to Fox News.
Where else do you go to promote stupidity? They went
to Fox News to attack the Democratic lawmakers. Stephen Miller,
of course, claimed it was an insurrection.
Speaker 2: Played the clip even and one that you see is insurrection.
Speaker 3: It is insurrection, plainly, directly without question. And when you
have one of the lawmakers on that video being unable
to state in as you say, lengthy cross examination, a
single so called illegal order, it just proves the point.
It's a general call for rebellion from the CIA and
the armed services of the United States by Democrat lawmakers
saying that you have not only the right, but the
duty and the obligation to defy orders of the commander
in chief, That those who carry weapons in America's name
should defy their chain of command and engage in open
acts of insurrection. That the CIA, the clandestine service, which
isn't even legally authorized to operate in the United States,
should engage and again acts of rebellion and insurrection. These
lawmakers should honestly resign in disgrace and never return to
public office again for even daring to think, let alone,
to say these words and to say them proudly.
Speaker 5: But yeah, let not. They should immediately resign. And let
me be very clear. One of the items that they're
talking about. We all know, how about these attacks on
these alleged Venezuelan drug boats. I think we're up to
twenty two boats blown literally out of the water from drones.
More than eighty eight people confirmed dead. We don't even
know exactly the number, but it's at least eighty eight
without a single shred of proof that these are actually
drug boats. In fact, if they were drug boats, let's
even assume that the administration is right they're drug boats, Well,
wouldn't you want to capture these boats? And actually, I
don't know, interrogate the individuals on the boats to find
out the source, who's their supplier. Maybe go after the
big guy, not the stupid Putts that's sitting in one
of these rowboats with a couple of outboard motor engines.
You know, thousand miles two thousand miles away from United States,
you know, coastline. Seriously, and you think that it's okay
just to I know, you're not playing a video game here.
These are actual, real people on boats. In fact, two
of them have been confirmed. Well that's by outside sources,
but it's been stated that they are or were fishermen.
Now on Handity goes on and he speaks with Todd
Blanche about this entire matter and asks him if there
needs to be an investigation opened played the.
Speaker 2: Clip and that is wrong.
Speaker 4: Your resume as an attorney and your background and experience
lends me to believe that you know the answer to
the question you're asking me. You're number two at the DOJ.
Does this need to be investigated? And what would the
investigation be under?
Speaker 2: Well, the investigation would absolutely be under what these what
their intent was in saying this? And the question we've
all watched this a lot today, and the question you
have to ask yourself is what is their intent? What
is the reason that they all went on a video
and encourage young men and women to defy court orders
without even giving a hint of what's illegal, without even
giving any suggestion of what law or what order they're
being asked to violate. You cannot do that in this country,
especially if you're a leader. And so, what does the
investigation look like? I think they should be held to account.
I think that those congressmen s should be required to
answer questions and to ask answer questions about why they
did what they did. And the American people deserve that.
And so does President Trump?
Speaker 1: What an answer? What an answer? With his great background
to experience, his legal knowledge, there's no answer there. If
you want to get to why they asked very simple contact.
One of the members of Congress, could be any any
committee there in the House or in the Senate. Do
the Senate Intelligence Committee, do the Armed Services Committee, whatever
you want, right, how about go ahead and then bring
them in for a hearing. Yeah, I would watch that
on television and watch the answer that comes out of
their mouth. What they believe are illegal orders. Nobody talked
about them violating a court order. There is no court
order that says that the president is permitted or should
or is required to shoot at unarmed vessels in the
water in a foreign country, right because he believes or
the intelligence that he's being given is that they are
drug boats. Seriously, Todd, right, use your brains. I understand
you're afraid to say something which is controversial or something
that the President is going to deem bad, right, because
you'll get your ass kick from him. I know I
live that. But there are more than eighty eight dead
people with zero zero proof that those were actually drug boats.
And again, even if they were, or some of them were,
how about capturing them. That's the illegal order? And as
always thanks for listening. Hey everyone, First of all, thanks
for watching. I mean we're gonna be posting daily episode
with reactions and talking about politics. We'll be talking about
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on this journey