Rep. Houlahan shares flood of supportive veterans’ calls after video

A Democratic congresswoman and former Air Force captain who joined five other lawmakers in a viral video informing the military that they can refuse a president’s illegal orders has shared a slew of voicemails supporting her position.

The video released by six veteran Democratic lawmakers drew sharp criticism from President Donald Trump, who called them “traitors,” and War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who asked Navy Secretary John Phelan to formally review a senator’s comments in the clip.

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, who represents Chester County and Reading, shared a mix of numerous messages praising her and her colleagues for “standing up” for the military during what concerned lawmakers called a difficult time to serve the public.

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Governors-elect Mikie Sherill and Abigail Spanberger take a selfie with Rep. Christina Houlahan. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Several callers were not voters, including veterans from as far away as Fairbanks, Alaska. Others said they were from Philadelphia, Reading, West Chester, Phoenixville, and Berwyn, Pennsylvania, as well as Baltimore, Maryland; Carlsbad, California; and beyond.

They also identified themselves by their military backgrounds, including Navy veteran, infantry veteran, wounded warrior, Gulf War veteran, and descendants of World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and Korea.

“I’m not a voter,” one said. “I’m a veteran.”

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“Thank you for standing strong with our military,” said another.

“I just want to tell him that I appreciate his comments and that they are right,” a third caller said.

Directly addressing the quotes in the video, another veteran expressed gratitude to Houlahan “letting them know it was OK to question orders that appear wrong or illegal.”

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Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, Democrat of Pennsylvania, is interrupted by Capitol Police as she questions House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., during a House Republican news conference. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“I’m with you. I’m behind you.”

“You have the support and gratitude of citizens throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Thank you. That’s all I can say to you. Thank you very much. You make the Commonwealth very proud. I am very proud of all six of you for making this video,” several callers added in an edited composite excerpt.

“I will continue to speak for you because you continue to speak to me,” another told Houlahan.

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In response, the White House said Democrats like Houlahan were unable to cite examples of illegal orders given by Trump or the Pentagon when asked.

“Because there hasn’t been,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said.

“It should deeply concern all Americans that Democratic elected officials are publicly urging the military to openly defy the chain of command and the lawful orders of the Commander in Chief to subvert the will of the American people,” she said.

On Tuesday, Houlahan said the FBI contacted the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms, who maintain order in the Capitol galleries, to request interviews with the lawmakers in the video.

“President Trump is using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass members of Congress,” Houlahan said.

“No form of intimidation or harassment will ever stop us from doing our jobs and upholding our Constitution.”

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“We will never be bullied. We will never abandon ship,” she said, quoting a line from the video spoken by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.

The most prominent lawmaker in the video, Sen. Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona, has been the subject of a looming Pentagon investigation ever since, documents show.

Kelly, a retired Navy combat pilot and astronaut, is in the separate category of “retired” — requiring 20 years of service — rather than “veteran,” a status that allows the Pentagon to recall him for disciplinary action that could include loss of rank or other sanctions.

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Hegseth called Houlahan, Kelly and the others the “Seditious Six” and his office issued a statement saying that all “military personnel are reminded that they have a legal obligation under the UCMJ to obey lawful orders and that orders are presumed lawful.”

“A service member’s personal philosophy does not justify or excuse disobedience to an otherwise lawful order,” the War Department said.

Houlahan spent two years on active duty in the Air Force from 1989 to 1991 and the remainder of his career in the reserves until his separation in 2004.

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Her father was a naval aviator and she was born at Patuxent Naval Air Station in St. Mary’s, Maryland.

Five of the six lawmakers featured in the video have also reportedly received bomb threats against their offices since the video was released.

Slotkin, Houlahan and Reps. Jason Crow, Democrat of Colorado, and Chris Deluzio, Democrat of Pennsylvania, received threats in their offices on Capitol Hill, while Rep. Maggie Goodlander, wife of Obama’s national security adviser Jacob Sullivan, was the subject of a bomb threat in her field office in Concord, New Hampshire, according to Newsweek.