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Democrat legislators who urged US military personnel to ignore unlawful orders are now responding to what they describe as a federal investigation into their conduct.

Alert of Probe

Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin of the state of Michigan stated that the FBI on the start of the week informed the half-dozen congressional members who were featured in recent video about the investigation.

"Any attempt at pressure or targeting will ever stop us from doing our jobs and honoring our founding document," several US House members stated.

Presidential Response

Their statement to military members led to US President Trump to allege the Democrats of "seditious behavior, punishable by death" and initiated a Defense Department review of "serious allegations of misconduct" against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of the state of Arizona, who also appeared in the video.

The Department of Justice refused to provide statement on the reported investigation.

Recording Particulars

The recording by Democratic officials, all of whom have served in the military or national security sector, was distributed last week by Slotkin and features Kelly and Congress members Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan and Jason Crow.

The communication came amid escalating tensions between the current administration and the government of Venezuela, as well as Democrat-led municipalities resisting Trump's sending of National Guard troops to the area.

FBI Participation

Slotkin said on the following day that the FBI's national security division delivered a notification to the Congress members to inform them of an reported investigation into the lawmakers.

"His response and the deployment of the Federal Bureau against us is exactly why we made the video," she said at an event in her home state.

"He believes in using the federal government against his perceived adversaries, and he's not afraid to utilize the resources of the administration against individuals he disagrees with," she commented, describing Trump's actions as "a scare tactic."

Congressional Reaction

Similarly, Congress members Deluzio, Goodlander, Houlahan and Crow said that the President is using the FBI as "tool to pressure and target" members of Congress, confirming that the Federal Bureau reached out to the Congressional security officials to arrange meetings.

"We took an oath to support and protect the Constitution of the United States. That oath lasts a lifetime, and we intend to honor it. We won't be intimidated. We will never surrender our principles," they stated.

Executive Response

The recording - in which the Arizona senator accused the administration of "pitting our armed forces and intelligence community personnel against American citizens" - provoked the President's anger and he suggested on social media that they be arrested, imprisoned and hanged.

His comments received bipartisan condemnation and the chief executive eventually walked back his remarks in a TV interview, clarifying that he was "not threatening death."

Pentagon Response

On the start of the week, the Pentagon accused the Arizona legislator, a previous captain in the US Navy and astronaut, of violating military law. The military leadership said it would perform a review to determine whether the state senator should be returned to active duty to undergo military judicial process.

Although Kelly left from the military, he is nevertheless bound by the military legal code - a national legislation enacted by the legislature in 1951 that holds members of the military to a special set of regulations.

Military Leader Comment

Military leader Pete Hegseth accused Kelly of breaking the military code and of using his position and service affiliation as a way to provide "the appearance of authority to his statements" in the video.

He continued that Kelly's behavior "casts doubt upon the armed forces and will be handled appropriately."

Legislator Kelly's

But Kelly likewise responded, stating that he has "given too much to this country to be silenced by intimidators who care more about their own authority than protecting the Constitution."

Accounts suggested on the following day that the FBI and Justice Department contacted Capitol Police to arrange meetings with the half-dozen members of Congress.

The Federal Bureau refused to provide statement on Tuesday when approached by media outlets.