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Lawmakers from the Democratic party expressed fury after Donald Trump accused a coalition of Democratic representatives of being "betrayers" and declared they should be arrested and sentenced "through capital punishment" following their publication of a contentious video.

The Recording That Provoked the Dispute

The clip, released on Tuesday, showcases six Democratic congress members who formerly worked in defense or intelligence capacities.

"As we did, you all made an pledge to defend and support this national charter," the officials stated in the short video. "Currently, the risks to our constitution are not only from abroad, but from domestically. Our laws are explicit, you can reject illegal orders, you can decline illegal orders, you have to decline unlawful commands. No one has to execute directives that violate the statutes or our founding principles."

Donald Trump's Incensed Reply

The video message appeared to provoke a furious reply from the ex-president.

On the following morning, Trump wrote on his preferred platform: "This constitutes SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these turncoats to our Nation should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL."

In another publication, he wrote: "This is really bad, and Risky to our Nation. Their comments cannot be permitted to persist. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???"

In a subsequent post, he added: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, liable by DEATH!" He also reposted a statement that stated: "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!"

Democratic Representatives Respond

Following Trump's statements on Thursday, Democratic leadership released a combined statement condemning the statements.

"Partisan aggression has no place in this nation," they stated. "Representatives who participated in the video all served our United States with great national pride and excellence. We strongly censure Donald Trump's offensive and risky death threats against congressional representatives, and call on House Republicans to vigorously do the same."

The party representatives also said that they had been in contact with law enforcement "to ensure the security of these representatives and their loved ones."

"Donald Trump must right away take down these extreme social media posts and retract his violent language before he causes harm," the declaration continued.

Lawmakers' Strong Response

The representatives who were featured in the video also released a statement.

"We are veterans and national security professionals who care for this United States and made an vow to defend and defend the national charter of the United States," they declared. "Our pledge lasts a lifetime, and we intend to keep it. No intimidation, coercion, or call for violence will deter us from that important responsibility."

"What's most telling is that the president deems it liable to punishment by capital punishment for us to reiterate the statutes," they stated. "Military personnel should understand that we have their protection as they fulfill their oath to the founding principles and responsibility to adhere to only lawful orders. It is not only the correct thing to do, but also our responsibility."

They continued: "Every American must come together and denounce the ex-president's calls for our death and ideological conflict. This is a time for ethical certainty."

Further Partisan Comments

The Opposition leader also censured Trump's statements and published on digital platforms: "It's important to understand: the President of the United States is calling for the execution of public representatives."

He added: "This is an clear THREAT. All senators, every Representative, every American – without partisan consideration – should condemn this without delay and unconditionally."

The Republican House speaker supported Trump's claim that the Democrats had been involved in "treason", characterizing the video as "wildly inappropriate", adding: "It is very dangerous, you have leading members of Congress instructing soldiers to defy commands, I think that's historic in US history."

The GOP official also reportedly informed journalists that in what he read of Trump's messages, Trump was "explaining the crime of treason" but that "lawyers have to examine the terminology and determine all that."

Administration Statement

During a administration briefing on that day, when asked by a media member, "Would the president want to put to death elected officials?", the administration spokesperson responded: "Absolutely not."

"We should understand about what the president is reacting to," the representative said. "We see current representatives of the federal government who coordinated to orchestrate a video message to members of the American armed forces, to current military personnel urging them to defy the commander in chief's proper directives."

She added: "The sanctity of our defense system rests on the chain of command, and if that chain of command is compromised, it can result in fatalities, it can result in disorder, and that's what these elected officials ... are fundamentally encouraging."