🔗 Share this article Democratic lawmakers Allege Trump of ‘Intimidation’ Tactic as FBI Requests Meetings A group of Democratic lawmakers labeled by the president as involved in “seditious behavior” have asserted that the president is employing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to target them as a “tool to intimidate and harass congressional representatives.” The four elected officials, together with two others, had produced a video urging American troops to disobey illegal commands – a message that angered Trump, who wrote on social media that the individuals were “disloyal citizens” and thus could be jailed or even face the death penalty. An announcement, issued by US representatives the Colorado congressman, the Pennsylvania representatives, and Maggie Goodlander, verified that the FBI had contacted the Congressional security officials requesting discussions with them. “Regardless of any pressure or threats will ever stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our constitution,” they stated, adding that they had each sworn an oath “to uphold and protect” the US constitution. “That commitment is permanent, and we plan to honor it. We refuse to be intimidated. We will not surrender our principles,” they added. The declaration intensifies a conflict between the president’s team and Democratic leaders, such as the senator from Arizona and former astronaut Mark Kelly and Michigan congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, over the video message, which urged the armed forces and intelligence personnel to “disregard unlawful commands.” The Michigan lawmaker said the FBI’s counter-terrorism division had notified the group that “they are initiating what appears to be an inquiry against the six of us” and characterized the action as a “scare tactic” by Trump. “To be honest, the leader’s response and the deployment of the FBI to target us is exactly why we created the message,” she said. “He supports utilizing the federal government to oppose those he views as opponents, and he’s not afraid to use the government agencies to target dissenters. He does not believe the rules govern his actions … which is exactly why we produced the recording, to offer reassurance that they had support as they watch this stuff unfold.” The Pentagon has also said it is conducting a review of misconduct allegations against Kelly that could, it said, lead to his return to military service to undergo a military trial.