ISTANBUL

US Vice President JD Vance on Sunday said that it is illegal for six Democratic lawmakers to urge US service members to refuse unlawful commands.

“If the president hasn’t issued illegal orders, then members of Congress telling the military to defy the president is by definition illegal,” Vance said on the US social media company X.

Earlier, Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin, and Reps. Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander and Chrissy Houlahan released a video urging service members and intelligence officers to "refuse unlawful orders."

Vance’s statement came after Slotkin told ABC’s “This Week” that she was “not aware” of any instance in which US President Donald Trump had authorized unlawful military action.

The lawmakers, who either served in the armed forces or the intelligence community before entering Congress, said in the video that they wanted to speak directly to those who serve, saying: "Americans trust their military, but that trust is at risk."

"Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders," they said.

Trump responded by calling the group “traitors” on his Truth Social account, claiming their actions amounted to “sedition” and were “punishable by death.” He later added that the lawmakers “SHOULD BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW.”

In August, Trump announced that he is placing local police in the nation's capital under federal control and said he is deploying the National Guard to address what he called a "public safety emergency."

Trump so far has sought to deploy National Guard and active-duty troops to five major Democratic-led cities -- Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland and Memphis -- while also threatening potential military intervention in several others, including Baltimore, New York, New Orleans, Oakland, San Francisco, and St. Louis.