Grand jury declines to bring charges against Democrats who urged military to disobey 'unlawful' orders

A grand jury declined to bring charges against Democratic lawmakers who encouraged members of the military and intelligence communities not to comply with "illegal" orders issued by Donald Trump. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia brought the indictment, led by Jeanine Pirro.

The controversy began in November 2025, when a group of six Democratic lawmakers participated in a video titled "Don't jump ship."

Subsequently, the Department of War announced an investigation against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), related to his appearance in a recent video urging military members not to follow orders related to current operations against suspected drug trafficking ships in the Caribbean, which they described as "illegal."

Joining Kelly were Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA). All of them are current lawmakers and veterans of the armed forces or the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

In this context, a grand jury of the Federal District Court of Washington rejected an indictment against them, understanding that they could not be tried for any crime. According to the Times, federal prosecutors who tried to persuade the grand jury to bring charges argued that the lawmakers had violated a law that prohibits interfering with the loyalty, morale or discipline of the U.S. military.

"It had been exceedingly rare for grand jurors to rebuff requests by prosecutors seeking indictments, although it has happened with increased frequency to the Justice Department under Mr. Trump, as his appointees push ahead with questionable cases," the NYT noted.