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Democratic legislators who urged American troops to ignore unlawful commands are now responding to what they call a government investigation into their actions.

Notification of Probe

Democrat Legislator Elissa Slotkin of the state of Michigan announced that the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the start of the week informed the half-dozen lawmakers who were featured in last week's video about the investigation.

"Any attempt at intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from performing our duties and upholding our Constitution," several US House members stated.

Executive Response

Their message to troops led to President Trump to allege the Democrats of "treasonous conduct, punishable by death" and triggered a Defense Department examination of "serious allegations of misconduct" against Democratic Legislator Mark Kelly of Arizona, who also appeared in the video.

The Justice Department refused to comment on the reported probe.

Video Particulars

The video by Democratic officials, each of whom have served in the armed forces or national security sector, was distributed last week by the Michigan senator and includes Kelly and Congress members Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan and Jason Crow.

The communication came amid escalating tensions between the Trump administration and the government of Venezuela, as well as Democratic-controlled cities resisting Trump's sending of National Guard troops to the region.

Federal Bureau Participation

Slotkin stated on the following day that the FBI's counterterrorism unit delivered a notification to the Congress members to inform them of an reported investigation into the elected officials.

"The President's response and the use of the Federal Bureau against us is precisely why we created the recording," she said at an gathering in her home state.

"He thinks in employing the national government against his imagined adversaries, and he's not afraid to utilize the arms of the government against individuals he disagrees with," she commented, describing Trump's behavior as "intimidation."

Congressional Response

Likewise, Congress members Deluzio, Goodlander, Houlahan and Crow asserted that Trump is employing the FBI as "instrument to intimidate and harass" legislators, verifying that the FBI reached out to the Congressional security officials to request interviews.

"We swore an pledge to support and protect the founding document of the United States. That commitment lasts a lifetime, and we plan to keep it. We will not be bullied. We refuse to give up the ship," they declared.

Executive Reaction

The video - in which the Arizona senator accused the administration of "setting our armed forces and intelligence community personnel against American citizens" - provoked the President's ire and he suggested on online platforms that they be arrested, locked up and hanged.

His words received cross-party condemnation and the chief executive ultimately walked back his remarks in a television appearance, clarifying that he was "not advocating capital punishment."

Pentagon Action

On Monday, the Pentagon alleged the Arizona legislator, a previous officer in the US Navy and space explorer, of violating armed forces regulations. The defence department announced it would conduct a review to determine whether the Arizona senator should be returned to military service to face military judicial process.

Even though Kelly left from the military, he is still subject to the military legal code - a federal law enacted by the legislature in 1951 that holds members of the armed forces to a unique system of regulations.

Military Leader Comment

Defence secretary Pete Hegseth accused Kelly of violating the UCMJ and of employing his position and service affiliation as a way to provide "the impression of authority to his words" in the recording.

He continued that the senator's behavior "brings discredit upon the armed forces and will be handled appropriately."

Senator Response

But Kelly also pushed back, stating that he has "given too much to this nation to be silenced by intimidators who prioritize their own authority than defending the Constitution."

Reports indicated on the following day that the FBI and Justice Department reached out to Capitol Police to schedule meetings with the half-dozen legislators.

The Federal Bureau declined to provide statement on that day when contacted by media outlets.