Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, whose wife was nearly assassinated while she served in Congress, has expressed deep concern for his family's safety following a recent accusation from former President Donald Trump that he and other Democratic lawmakers engaged in "sedition, punishable by death."
Kelly stated on Friday that Trump's use of the term "sedition" is "dangerous" and "wrong," citing his own experience with political violence. He noted that his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the head at a constituent meeting in 2011, narrowly escaping assassination.
The senator warned that Trump's words have significant weight with the American people, adding that "people react to things that he says." Kelly also highlighted the rising threat of political violence in the US, pointing out that former President Trump survived two attempted assassinations before taking office and referencing the violent incidents at the US Capitol during the certification of Joe Biden's victory.
Trump responded to Giffords' survival by accusing her husband and other Democratic lawmakers of "sedition," a crime punishable by death for active military members. However, the US Manual for Courts-Martial clarifies that the military requirement to obey orders does not apply to patently illegal orders, such as those directing the commission of a crime.
Kelly criticized Trump's response, stating that it was irresponsible and potentially inciting violence. His comments came after he appeared in a video with other federal Democratic lawmakers who urged active US service members to refuse illegal orders.
The concern over Kelly's safety has raised eyebrows among his Republican colleagues, with some defending Trump's response as justified. However, many others have lambasted Trump's statement, labeling it as inflammatory and irresponsible.
Kelly stated on Friday that Trump's use of the term "sedition" is "dangerous" and "wrong," citing his own experience with political violence. He noted that his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in the head at a constituent meeting in 2011, narrowly escaping assassination.
The senator warned that Trump's words have significant weight with the American people, adding that "people react to things that he says." Kelly also highlighted the rising threat of political violence in the US, pointing out that former President Trump survived two attempted assassinations before taking office and referencing the violent incidents at the US Capitol during the certification of Joe Biden's victory.
Trump responded to Giffords' survival by accusing her husband and other Democratic lawmakers of "sedition," a crime punishable by death for active military members. However, the US Manual for Courts-Martial clarifies that the military requirement to obey orders does not apply to patently illegal orders, such as those directing the commission of a crime.
Kelly criticized Trump's response, stating that it was irresponsible and potentially inciting violence. His comments came after he appeared in a video with other federal Democratic lawmakers who urged active US service members to refuse illegal orders.
The concern over Kelly's safety has raised eyebrows among his Republican colleagues, with some defending Trump's response as justified. However, many others have lambasted Trump's statement, labeling it as inflammatory and irresponsible.
... It's not just about the word itself, but how it makes people feel. I mean, can we really blame Trump for being worried about his own safety? 
His words have weight, and they've already sparked a lot of debate. But at the end of the day, what does "sedition" even mean to us? Is it just a label that's meant to scare people into submission? Or is there something deeper going on here? Maybe we're all just trying to find our own way in this crazy world...
his wife was literally shot in the head! and now this dude is accusing democrats of sedition like its no big deal 
its so concerning how trump uses these words to stir up trouble, especially with the whole us capitol incident last year 
im just worried about kellyphones safety rn... its not fair that hes having to live with all this drama because of his wife's survival 
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. Like, come on, he knows the US Manual for Courts-Martial and all about the whole "refusing illegal orders" thing... it's not like this is some new-fangled idea or anything 
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this is getting crazy fam... Mark Kelly is right, Trump's words are super problematic 
. Trump thinks he can just go around accusing people of "sedition" and expect them to be like "oh, okay, I'll take that as a death sentence"? 
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. Mark Kelly's wife almost got assassinated and now his own family is at risk because of some inflammatory statement 
. I mean, what's next? Will Trump start a riot or something? I hope Kelly and the other lawmakers take care of themselves 
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And now Trump's just making it worse by saying they're guilty of sedition... it's like, dude, you're talking about a real-life situation where people were actually shot and hurt. It's not some game or tweetstorm - it's people's lives we're talking about. 
. I'm onto this, though... I can feel it in my bones. There's gotta be more to this story than meets the eye... 
. The fact that some Republicans have defended Trump's statement as justified is disconcerting, suggesting a lack of empathy for those who have experienced violence at the hands of extremist rhetoric 
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it's not right that trumps making wild accusations about sedition and even saying its punishable by death lol what is this some kinda alternate universe? 
! I mean, come on, Donald Trump thinks he can just call out Mark Kelly for being a "traitor" or whatever and then wonder why people are like "wait, what?" It's like he's trying to start a war without even firing a shot. And let me tell you, this whole thing is super disturbing 
. I'm all for standing up against bad orders, but this is just ridiculous. It sounds like Trump wants us to have a civil war or something 
. And can we please just focus on making America safe again instead of resorting to these inflammatory rhetoric? We should be working together to prevent violence and promote unity 
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