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Lawmakers from the Democratic party voiced anger after the ex-president charged a coalition of Democratic legislators of being "traitors" and stated they should be detained and punished "through capital punishment" following their release of a controversial video.

The Recording That Sparked the Debate

The video footage, published on earlier this week, features six Democratic lawmakers who previously served in military or defense roles.

"Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this national charter," the lawmakers stated in the brief video. "And right now, the risks to our democratic foundation are not only from overseas, but from right here at home. Our statutes are explicit, you can decline improper directives, you can reject illegal orders, you have to refuse improper directives. No one has to execute orders that violate the legal system or our founding principles."

The Former President's Angry Response

The video message appeared to prompt a angry reply from the former president.

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

In a separate message, he wrote: "This represents really bad, and Harmful to our Country. Their comments cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???"

In a third post, he added: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" He also redistributed a declaration that said: "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!"

Party Officials Answer

Following Trump's comments on Thursday, House Democratic leader issued a joint declaration denouncing the statements.

"Partisan aggression has no place in this nation," they stated. "Congress members who were featured in the video all worked our nation with great national pride and excellence. We clearly censure Donald Trump's appalling and dangerous death threats against congressional representatives, and call on GOP representatives to forcefully do the same."

The Democratic leaders also mentioned that they had been in communication with law enforcement "to make certain the safety of these members and their families."

"Donald Trump must right away remove these extreme digital publications and recant his violent rhetoric before he gets someone killed," the announcement added.

Officials' Strong Reaction

The representatives who appeared in the video also issued a statement.

"We serve as veterans and security experts who love this United States and took an oath to protect and defend the constitution of the United States," they said. "That oath lasts a lifetime, and we aim to honor it. No threat, coercion, or call for violence will stop us from that sacred duty."

"The significant point is that the president views it subject to penalty by execution for us to reiterate the legal requirements," they added. "Our service members should know that we have their support as they fulfill their vow to the founding principles and responsibility to follow only lawful orders. It is not only the correct thing to do, but also our responsibility."

They stated: "The entire nation must unite and denounce the ex-president's requests for our execution and partisan aggression. This is a moment for principled stance."

Further Partisan Comments

The Opposition leader also censured Trump's comments and published on digital platforms: "Let's be crystal clear: the former president is calling for the execution of elected officials."

He added: "This constitutes an clear THREAT. All senators, every Representative, every American – without partisan consideration – should condemn this immediately and without qualification."

The Republican House speaker defended Trump's allegation that the Democrats had engaged in "rebellion", characterizing the video as "wildly inappropriate", stating: "This constitutes very harmful, you have leading members of the legislature instructing troops to ignore directives, I think that's without precedent in American history."

The Republican leader also reportedly informed the press that in what he examined of Trump's posts, Trump was "defining the crime of sedition" but that "attorneys have to analyze the terminology and decide all that."

White House Reaction

During a administration briefing on later that day, when questioned by a reporter, "Is the president want to execute members of Congress?", the executive branch representative answered: "Absolutely not."

"Let's be clear about what the former president is responding to," the spokesperson declared. "There are current representatives of the US Congress who coordinated to arrange a video message to individuals of the national defense, to serving soldiers urging them to disobey the president's legal commands."

She said: "The integrity of our armed forces rests on the command structure, and if that chain of command is broken, it can result in fatalities, it can lead to chaos, and that is exactly what these congressional representatives ... are essentially supporting."