WASHINGTON, DC — Today, after a federal grand jury refused to indict a group of Democratic lawmakers -- all of whom had served in the military or in intelligence roles – who called on members of the military and intelligence community not to comply with unlawful orders, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement:

“It is outrageous that the Administration attempted to push such reckless, criminal charges. But it is not illegal for members of Congress to recite the Uniform Code of Military Justice. And the grand jury did the right thing by standing up for free speech. Indeed, Trump’s Secretary of Defense and his Attorney General both said the same thing as these Democratic officials.

“All Americans should be disturbed by the Trump Administration’s attempts to corrupt the criminal justice system and direct it against the President's perceived enemies. Those who brought this case have lost badly and they should be held accountable if they engaged in professional misconduct.

“Rule of law must remain paramount.”

U.S. Attorney for the District of DC Jeanine Pirro led the failed effort to indict the lawmakers, who included: U.S. Representatives Jason Crow (D-CO), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Chris Deluzi (D-PA) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) along with U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) over a video posted on social media this past November.

Additionally, today a federal judge appointed by George W. Bush blocked Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s efforts to censure Senator Kelly, a retired Navy captain and former astronaut. The judge found that Hegseth violated Kelly’s First Amendment rights by moving to strip him of his retired military rank for reminding troops in a video last year that they are obligated to refuse illegal orders, writing that Hegseth “trampled on Senator Kelly’s First Amendment freedoms and threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees.”