{"id":1404413,"date":"2026-02-05T08:20:03","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T13:20:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/?p=1404413&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=1404413"},"modified":"2026-02-05T11:15:35","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T16:15:35","slug":"slotkin-rejects-justice-department-request","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/05\/slotkin-rejects-justice-department-request\/","title":{"rendered":"Slotkin rejects Justice Department request for interview on Democrats\u2019 video about \u2018illegal orders\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By JOEY CAPPELLETTI, Associated Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan is refusing to voluntarily comply with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/slotkin-trump-investigation-democrats-video-illegal-orders-a4714c0008e4b48b2baf260470096812\">a Justice Department investigation<\/a>\u00a0into a video she organized urging U.S. military members to resist \u201cillegal orders\u201d \u2014 escalating\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-military-traitors-sedition-illegal-orders-c5fc3c5bd2fbc6b1204550e4203c24b2\">a dispute<\/a>\u00a0that President Donald Trump has publicly pushed.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related left\"><h2 class=\"widget-title\" data-curated-ids=\"\" data-relation-type=\"automatic-primary-section\">Related Articles<\/h2><ul><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/08\/housing-costs-are-crippling-many-americans-heres-how-the-two-parties-propose-to-fix-that\/\" title=\"Housing costs are crippling many Americans. Here\u2019s how the two parties propose to fix that\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tHousing costs are crippling many Americans. Here\u2019s how the two parties propose to fix that\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/07\/vaccine-court-overhaul\/\" title=\"Her son\u2019s injury never got its day in vaccine court. Their lawyer is now advising RFK Jr. on its overhaul\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tHer son\u2019s injury never got its day in vaccine court. Their lawyer is now advising RFK Jr. on its overhaul\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/06\/border-family-separation\/\" title=\"Judge orders Trump administration to bring back 3 families deported to Honduras, other countries\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tJudge orders Trump administration to bring back 3 families deported to Honduras, other countries\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/06\/epstein-house-unredacted-files\/\" title=\"Justice Department will allow lawmakers to see unredacted versions of released Epstein files\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tJustice Department will allow lawmakers to see unredacted versions of released Epstein files\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/06\/us-social-service-funds\/\" title=\"Feds can\u2019t withhold social service funds from 5 Democratic states amid fraud claims, judge rules\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tFeds can\u2019t withhold social service funds from 5 Democratic states amid fraud claims, judge rules\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><\/ul><\/aside>\n<p>In letters first obtained by The Associated Press, Slotkin\u2019s lawyer informed U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro that the senator would not agree to a voluntary interview about the video. Slotkin&#8217;s legal team also requested that Pirro preserve all documents related to the matter for \u201canticipated litigation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Slotkin\u2019s lawyer separately wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi, declining to sit for an FBI interview about the video and urging her to immediately terminate any inquiry.<\/p>\n<p>The refusal marks a potential turning point in the standoff, shifting the burden onto the Justice Department to decide whether it will escalate an investigation into sitting members of Congress or retreat from an inquiry now being openly challenged.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did this to go on offense,\u201d Slotkin said in an interview Wednesday. \u201cAnd to put them in a position where they\u2019re tap dancing. To put them in a position where they have to own their choices of using a U.S. attorney\u2019s office to come after a senator.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">\u2018It\u2019s not gonna stop unless I fight back&#8217;<\/h4>\n<p>Last November, Slotkin joined five other Democratic lawmakers \u2014 all of whom previously served in the military or at intelligence agencies \u2014 in posting a 90-second video urging U.S. service members to follow established military protocols and reject orders they believe to be unlawful.<\/p>\n<p>The lawmakers said Trump&#8217;s Republican administration was \u201cpitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens\u201d and called on troops to \u201cstand up for our laws.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The video sparked a firestorm in Republican circles and soon drew the attention of Trump, who\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-military-traitors-sedition-illegal-orders-c5fc3c5bd2fbc6b1204550e4203c24b2\">accused the lawmakers of sedition<\/a>\u00a0and said their actions were \u201cpunishable by death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon later announced it had opened an investigation into Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former Navy pilot who appeared in the video. The FBI then contacted the lawmakers seeking interviews, signaling a broader Justice Department inquiry.<\/p>\n<p>Slotkin said multiple legal advisers initially urged caution.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe if you keep quiet, this will all go away over Christmas,\u201d Slotkin said she was told.<\/p>\n<p>But in January, the matter flared again, with the lawmakers saying they were contacted by the U.S. attorney\u2019s office for the District of Columbia.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, security threats mounted. Slotkin said her farm in Michigan received a bomb threat, her brother was assigned a police detail due to threats and her parents were swatted in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n<p>Her father, who died in January after a long battle with cancer, \u201ccould barely walk and he\u2019s dealing with the cops in his home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Slotkin said a \u201cswitch went off\u201d in her and she became angry: \u201cAnd I said, \u2018It\u2019s not gonna stop unless I fight back.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">Democratic senators draw a line<\/h4>\n<p>The requests from the FBI and the Justice Department have been voluntary. Slotkin said that her legal team had communicated with prosecutors but that officials \u201ckeep asking for a personal interview.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Slotkin\u2019s lawyer, Preet Bharara, in the letter to Pirro declined the interview request and asked that she \u201cimmediately terminate any open investigation and cease any further inquiry concerning the video.\u201d In the other letter, Bharara urged Bondi to use her authority to direct Pirro to close the inquiry.<\/p>\n<p>Bharara wrote that Slotkin\u2019s constitutional rights had been infringed and said litigation is being considered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll options are most definitely on the table,\u201d Slotkin said. Asked whether she would comply with a subpoena, she paused before responding: \u201cI\u2019d take a hard look at it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bharara, who&#8217;s representing Slotkin in the case, is a former U.S. attorney in New York who was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/b27161d742a246049a2ab8f8cafc70e2\">fired by Trump<\/a>\u00a0in 2017 during his first administration. He&#8217;s also representing Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-james-attorney-general-justice-department-subpoena-9dec45248df0e06b1d99ff9944e6d327\">a separate case<\/a>\u00a0involving the Justice Department.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly has similarly pushed back,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.288365\/gov.uscourts.dcd.288365.1.0_1.pdf\">suing the Pentagon<\/a>\u00a0last month over attempts to punish him for the video. On Tuesday, a federal judge said that he knows of no U.S. Supreme Court precedent to justify\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/mark-kelly-pentagon-investigation-illegal-orders-8577539c6ae211ccf7f75fa0cfa0c9e2\">the Pentagon\u2019s censuring of Kelly<\/a>\u00a0as he weighed whether to intervene.<\/p>\n<p>Slotkin said she&#8217;s in contact with the other lawmakers who appeared in the video, but she wouldn&#8217;t say what their plans were in the investigations.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">A rising profile<\/h4>\n<p>Trump has frequently and consistently targeted his political opponents. In some cases, those attacks have had the unintended consequence of elevating their national standing.<\/p>\n<p>In Kelly\u2019s case, he raised more than $12.5 million in the final months of 2025 following the \u201cillegal orders\u201d video controversy, according to campaign finance filings.<\/p>\n<p>Slotkin, like Kelly, has been mentioned among Democrats who could emerge as presidential contenders in 2028.<\/p>\n<p>She previously represented one of the nation\u2019s most competitive House districts before\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/michigan-senate-slotkin-rogers-03884db9f8f2ff6d15be150f6c29ef14\">winning a Senate seat in Michigan<\/a>\u00a0in 2024, even as Trump carried the state.<\/p>\n<p>Slotkin delivered\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/slotkin-democratic-response-text-trump-congress-6ba1012264201e715c290da1b8f45bc4\">the Democratic response<\/a>\u00a0to Trump\u2019s address to Congress last year and has since urged her party to confront him more aggressively, saying Democrats had lost their \u201calpha energy\u201d and calling on them to \u201cgo nuclear\u201d against Trump\u2019s redistricting push.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I\u2019m encouraging other people to take risk, how can I not then accept risk myself?&#8221; Slotkin said. \u201cI think you\u2019ve got to show people that we\u2019re not going to lay down and take it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Slotkin says she&#8217;s considering litigation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":1404414,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7867,22,27],"tags":[7601],"feature":[],"location":[],"type-of-work":[7197],"coauthors":[799],"class_list":["post-1404413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-politics","category-news","category-politics","tag-network","type-of-work-news"],"post_status":"","edit_last":0,"edit_lock":0,"highlights":"","original_byline":"","original_canonical":"","original_category":"","original_email":"","original_id":0,"original_pubdate":"","original_source":"","primary_section":"7867","primary_tag":0,"print_workflow_body":"","print_workflow_exported_ts":"","print_workflow_exported_username":"","print_workflow_shapes":"","print_workflow_side":"","really_short_title":"","short_title":"","syndication_source":{"canonical":"https:\/\/www.twincities.com\/2026\/02\/05\/slotkin-rejects-justice-department-request","id":"cG9zdDoyNDQ3MTQ5","siteName":"Sharing Dash","syndicationSourceStack":[{"canonical":"https:\/\/www.twincities.com\/2026\/02\/05\/slotkin-rejects-justice-department-request","id":"cG9zdDoyNDQ3MTQ5","siteName":"Sharing Dash","sourceUrl":"https:\/\/sharingdash.medianewsgroup.com"}],"source_url":"https:\/\/sharingdash.medianewsgroup.com"},"market_neutral_title":"","social_title":"","dfm_hub_post_id":0,"paywall_level":"","featured_media_content":{"content_type":"image","content":{"id":1404414,"title":"Slotkin_Trump_Video_Investigation_72908","filename":"Slotkin_Trump_Video_Investigation_72908.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Slotkin_Trump_Video_Investigation_72908.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/05\/slotkin-rejects-justice-department-request\/attachment\/1404414\/","alt":"","author":"14","description":"","caption":"FILE &#8211; Sen. 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Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., speaks at the Center for American Progress, June 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Kevin Wolf, File)\n","post_status":"inherit","post_parent":1404413,"post_modified":"2026-02-05 11:15:34","post_modified_gmt":"2026-02-05 16:15:34","guid":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/?attachment_id=1404414","post_mime_type":"image\/jpeg","credit":"","prepared_image":{"id":1404414,"title":"Slotkin_Trump_Video_Investigation_72908","filename":"Slotkin_Trump_Video_Investigation_72908.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Slotkin_Trump_Video_Investigation_72908.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/05\/slotkin-rejects-justice-department-request\/attachment\/1404414\/","alt":"","author":"14","description":"","caption":"FILE &#8211; Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., speaks at the Center for American Progress, June 26, 2025, in Washington. 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