Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) said President Donald Trump should “tone down the rhetoric” against Democratic lawmakers over their video telling military members about refusing illegal orders.
Partial transcript as follows:
MARTHA RADDATZ Good morning, Congressman. I would like your response to the video itself that Senator Slotkin and the others put out?
MCCAUL: Well, I don’t speak for the president in terms of hanging members of Congress. But I will say these orders that they’re talking about, in my judgment, are not illegal orders to follow. They are orders based upon Article 2 self-defense of the Constitution to stop a threat, in this case, the threat of drugs coming into our country and killing Americans.
And so, you look at it from that perspective, there are no illegal orders to follow here. In the event, Martha, if an invasion does take place down in Venezuela against Maduro and we see perhaps the toppling of governments, which we saw many decades ago from what they call the gringo down in Latin America, that would trigger a War Powers Act response by Congress. We would have 60 days if the conflict is still ongoing to determine whether a declaration of war is warranted or an authorized use of military force.
RADDATZ: And Congressman, I want to go back to the video and them talking about don’t follow illegal orders. And the president’s response, threatening death, threatening to lock them up, put them in jail. These lawmakers now have 24/7 increased security. What would you say to President Trump about these threats that are continuing?
MCCAUL: My advice, though not on his White House, but I would tone down the rhetoric and tone down the theme here. I would emphasize more what I discussed, and that these orders are not illegal. I mean, they have been sent down on a mission to stop drugs from coming into the United States. And if that means, you know, taking out ships through our aircraft and our air force, then so be it. I — again, I think the orders are legal. That’s the issue.
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