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Joe Scarborough Blasts Rival Hosts as 'Dopes' for Pushing Trump's 'Sedition' Charge and Dismissing the Word 'Illegal'

Joe Scarborough accused rival cable hosts of amplifying President Trump's 'sedition' accusation and of downplaying the explicit use of the word 'illegal' in a video by six Democratic lawmakers urging service members to refuse unlawful orders. Mika Brzezinski warned that journalists who habitually minimize Trump's statements must treat his words as potential policy signals. Scarborough also disputed a claim tied to a CIA spokesperson about Rep. Elissa Slotkin and cautioned that the controversy could politically benefit Democrats while hurting Republicans who won't clearly condemn the rhetoric.

08:51 PM, 11/26/2025Politics

Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough sharply criticized commentators on rival cable channels for echoing President Donald Trump's characterization of a video produced by six Democratic lawmakers as "sedition." Scarborough accused those hosts of behaving like "dopes" and of treating their audiences as if they could not read the word 'illegal' in the lawmakers' statement.

The controversy began after the lawmakers released a video urging members of the military and intelligence communities to "refuse illegal orders." President Trump responded angrily, calling the clip "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH," a reaction that prompted debate across cable news and political circles.

Several conservative commentators defended or downplayed the president's response. On Fox News, Hugh Hewitt called the reaction "classic Donald Trump," Trey Gowdy described the Democrats' video as "dumb" and sought to minimize the fallout, and Andy McCarthy criticized the post from a different angle.

Co-host Mika Brzezinski urged reporters and pundits who typically present Trump favorably to stop treating his statements as bluffs. She warned that whether it's tariffs, deportations or threats of retribution, there is mounting evidence that Trump often follows through on what he says, and the media must take his words seriously.

Scarborough then scolded hosts on other networks for attacking the Democrats while ignoring the key legal language in the video. He said some commentators were acting as if viewers could not see or understand that the lawmakers explicitly referenced "illegal" orders.

'You have some of these networks that really are acting like their viewers are idiots, acting like they can't read the word illegal, acting like they can wish away the word illegal. I've just seen dopes go on there screaming and yelling and waving their arms and acting as if the word illegal is not in there.'

He also criticized a recent claim attributed to a CIA spokesperson that appeared to suggest Representative Elissa Slotkin had accused the agency of issuing illegal orders — a characterization Scarborough called false. He reiterated Slotkin's point: that 'in the future, if you receive illegal orders, you are duty bound by the oath that you have taken not to follow.'

Scarborough warned that dismissing the word 'illegal' and insulting viewers risks political backlash. He predicted the controversy could ultimately help Democrats — he mentioned Senator Mark Kelly, veterans and former CIA analysts — while harming Republicans who refuse to clearly repudiate such rhetoric.

The exchange highlights an ongoing media debate over how cable commentators interpret and amplify presidential rhetoric, and whether some hosts are simplifying or misrepresenting legal language for partisan effect.

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