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Lawmakers from the Democratic party voiced anger after Donald Trump charged a coalition of Democratic congress members of being "turncoats" and declared they should be arrested and penalized "with execution" following their publication of a disputed video.

The Recording That Sparked the Debate

The clip, released on Tuesday, includes six Democratic lawmakers who previously served in armed forces or security positions.

"Similar to us, you all made an vow to protect and support this founding document," the representatives stated in the 90-second video. "At present, the threats to our constitution are not only from overseas, but from domestically. Our laws are explicit, you can decline illegal orders, you can refuse unlawful commands, you should decline improper directives. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our national charter."

Donald Trump's Furious Response

The video message appeared to trigger a furious response from the former president.

On Thursday morning, Trump wrote on his social media platform: "This represents SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these betrayers to our Nation should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL."

In a separate message, he wrote: "This constitutes really serious, and Risky to our United States. Their words cannot be permitted to remain. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???"

In a additional post, he stated: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" He also shared a declaration that read: "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!"

Democratic Officials Respond

Following Trump's statements on that day, Top Democrats issued a unified statement condemning the remarks.

"Political violence has no role in the United States," they stated. "Congress members who participated in the video all acted our United States with great patriotism and distinction. We strongly censure Donald Trump's disgusting and risky death threats against members of Congress, and appeal to GOP representatives to vigorously do the same."

The opposition officials also mentioned that they had been in contact with security officials "to guarantee the security of these officials and their relatives."

"Donald Trump must immediately delete these radical social media posts and withdraw his violent rhetoric before he causes harm," the statement stated.

Officials' Defiant Response

The lawmakers who appeared in the video also published a statement.

"We are veterans and national security professionals who value this country and took an vow to safeguard and defend the national charter of the United States," they declared. "That oath lasts a lifetime, and we plan to maintain it. No warning, pressure, or call for violence will prevent us from that sacred responsibility."

"The most revealing aspect is that the ex-president deems it punishable by execution for us to repeat the law," they continued. "Our service members should know that we have their support as they carry out their pledge to the constitution and duty to follow only lawful orders. It is not only the proper thing to do, but also our obligation."

They added: "Every American must unite and condemn the president's requests for our execution and political violence. This is a time for principled stance."

Further Governmental Reactions

The Democratic Senate minority leader also denounced Trump's statements and shared on social media: "It's important to understand: the former president is calling for the death of government members."

He added: "This represents an direct THREAT. Every Senator, all representatives, all citizens – regardless of party – should censure this right away and without qualification."

The Conservative official justified Trump's allegation that the Democrats had engaged in "treason", characterizing the video as "wildly inappropriate", stating: "This represents very harmful, you have leading members of the legislature telling soldiers to disobey orders, I think that is historic in US history."

The GOP official also allegedly told the press that in what he examined of Trump's publications, Trump was "defining the violation of rebellion" but that "lawyers have to analyze the language and determine all that."

White House Reaction

During a White House press conference on Thursday afternoon, when asked by a journalist, "Does the president want to put to death congressional representatives?", the administration spokesperson responded: "Absolutely not."

"Let's be clear about what the former president is responding to," the representative said. "We see active officials of the US Congress who conspired to orchestrate a video message to members of the national defense, to active duty service members urging them to disobey the president's legal commands."

She stated: "The sanctity of our defense system relies on the chain of command, and if that system is broken, it can lead to casualties, it can result in disorder, and that is exactly what these elected officials ... are basically supporting."