WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump said he is not threatening the execution of six Democratic members of Congress he accused of sedition but believes they are in "serious trouble" for urging U.S. service members to disobey illegal orders.

"I'm not threatening death," Trump said in a Nov. 21 interview on Fox News Radio's "Brian Kilmeade Show." "But I think they're in serious trouble. In the old days, it was death."

Trump was addressing a post he made the previous day on his social media website Truth Social, in which he accused the Democratic lawmakers of "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!"

Six Democratic members of Congress, each whom previously served in the military or intelligence community, were featured in a video telling service members they have the right ‒ and even the obligation ‒ to refuse to carry out orders they believe are unlawful.

"It's a terrible thing to say. I must tell you," Trump said during his radio appearance. "I heard it and I thought it must be some kind of a comedy situation ‒ you know, it was some kind of a skit. Because I couldn't believe they would say it."

Trump added: "You know, modern day is a lot softer, but in the old days, if you said a thing like that, that was punishable by death."

Trump said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is "looking into it militarily" for potential charges to be brought in military courts. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche this week said the Justice Department will take a "close look" whether charges are warranted for the "abhorrent conduct" by the lawmakers.

The lawmakers in the video did not specify what orders are illegal. Democrats have pointed toward Trump's deployment of the National Guard to American cities and his extrajudicial strikes on boats allegedly carrying drugs as illegal.

"You must refuse illegal orders," Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, a former U.S. Navy officer, said in the video. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a former intelligence officer, also appears in the video. "No one has to carry out orders that violate the law," Slotkin said.

Other lawmakers in the video are Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and naval officer; Pennsylvania Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, a former Air Force officer; New Hampshire Rep. Maggie Goodlander, a former intelligence officer; and Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, a former U.S. Army officer.

"It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL," Trump wrote in another post on Nov. 20. "Each one of these traitors 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." Trump also shared a post that written by another person that said, "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!"

In the radio interview, however, Trump acknowledged the lawmakers can't be punished by death for what he called "traitorous" conduct.

"It's a meeker, milder world," Trump said. "But I will say this: I think what they did is really bad. The hatred is pretty strong."

Federal law defines a seditious conspiracy as an attempt to "overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States ... or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States." The crime is punishable by a fine and up to 20 years in prison, not death.

Federal prosecutors have rarely charged people on sedition charges, according to legal scholars.

"These are people that, in my opinion, broke the law," Trump said. "Now what happens to them ‒ I can't tell you."

Contributing: Michael Loria and Cybele Mayes-Osterman of USA TODAY

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says he's 'not threatening death' for six 'seditious' Democrats

Reporting by Joey Garrison, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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