Mike Johnson Backs Trump on Sedition Attacks Against Dems

House Speaker Mike Johnson came to the defense of President Trump after the president's latest incendiary comments, in which Trump accused congressional Democrats of "sedition"—a crime the POTUS noted is "punishable by death." Trump, who suggested that six Democrats who encouraged US troops to refuse illegal orders should be executed, first reposted a comment from a supporter on Truth Social saying, "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD!!" before accusing the lawmakers of sedition. Johnson, when asked about the posts, said Trump was simply "defining the crime of sedition," that his post was a "factual statement," and that attorneys would need to 'parse' the language in the criminal act, Politico reports.

Johnson said he had not seen the entirety of Trump's comments and reposts, but he said that it was the Democrats in question who were acting "wildly inappropriate" by suggesting military members disobey unlawful presidential orders. Sen. Marsha Blackburn told Newsmax Democrats were trying to undermine the chain of command, and that "members of the military are there to execute their mission. They are there to carry out their orders." Senate Majority Leader John Thune also criticized the Democrats' video, calling it "ill-advised and provocative and unnecessary," but he distanced himself from the idea of execution, saying, "I don't agree with that."

Later, after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump did not literally mean he wants to execute members of Congress, Johnson acknowledged that Trump's language was not what he would have chosen, characterizing it as "heated rhetoric" meant to make a point. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned Trump's remarks in a floor speech, warning that the president is "lighting a match in a country soaked with political gasoline." House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic whip Katherine Clark, and Democratic caucus chair Pete Aguilar also condemned the remarks, which they called "death threats," in a joint statement, the Guardian reports.