Vice President JD Vance went after six Democratic lawmakers on Sunday for reminding troops about a pretty basic principle: you can refuse illegal orders. His argument? If President Donald Trump hasn't actually issued illegal orders, then telling soldiers they can disobey illegal orders is somehow illegal itself.

The Video That Started It All

The lawmakers in question are Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), along with Reps. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) and Jason Crow (D-Colo.). All six have military or intelligence backgrounds, and they put out a video addressing active-duty personnel with a straightforward message: "Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders."

"If the president hasn't issued illegal orders, then the members of Congress telling the military to defy the president is by definition illegal," Vance wrote on X.

It's a circular argument that essentially says reminding people about the law is illegal if no one's breaking the law. Which is an interesting theory.

Trump Takes It Further With Sedition Claims

Trump wasn't content with just questioning the legality. He called the group "traitors" on Truth Social and claimed they were guilty of "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" On Saturday, he added that the six Democrats "SHOULD BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW."

Slotkin, appearing on ABC's "This Week," said she was "not aware" of any illegal orders from Trump but defended the message as a standard reminder of military law. Which it is, by the way. The duty to refuse unlawful orders isn't controversial in military circles.

Courts Weigh In On National Guard Deployments

The whole exchange is happening against a backdrop of actual legal issues with Trump's military deployments. Federal judges have ruled that Trump exceeded his authority by deploying or attempting to deploy National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., for domestic law enforcement.

So while Vance argues that telling troops about illegal orders is illegal if there are no illegal orders, courts are simultaneously saying some of Trump's orders were, in fact, beyond his authority.

Democrats Fire Back

The targeted lawmakers didn't take the threats quietly. Kelly said Trump was effectively claiming "loyalty to the Constitution is punishable by death" and warned that the president's threats of execution and violence were dangerous and unacceptable.

Slotkin accused Trump of using fear to silence dissent and vowed not to back down. Crow said Trump was threatening him with arrest and execution for upholding his constitutional oath, calling it evidence of the president's disregard for the rule of law.

Trump posted again on Sunday that the Democratic lawmakers were "traitors" who should be jailed, calling their message "sedition at the highest level" and insisting there was "no other interpretation" of their actions.

The irony here is hard to miss: threatening elected officials with death for reminding soldiers about their legal obligations seems like a bigger constitutional problem than the reminder itself.