Unearthed Clip: Hegseth Told Troops to Refuse Unlawful Orders — Now Calls Democrats' Same Advice 'Seditious'

CNN-era footage has emerged showing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in 2016 advising that service members should not follow unlawful orders — the same point made by six Democratic lawmakers in a recent video. The lawmakers urged troops to refuse illegal commands; former President Trump and Hegseth condemned the video as "seditious." Pentagon officials stressed that the military already has procedures for unlawful orders and described the lawmakers' clip as politically motivated. The resurfaced remarks have intensified debate over the line between lawful dissent and political influence on the armed forces.

06:00 AM, 12/03/2025Politics

Unearthed Clip: Hegseth Told Troops to Refuse Unlawful Orders — Now Calls Democrats' Same Advice 'Seditious'

A newly resurfaced 2016 recording shows Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, then a Fox News contributor, telling an audience that service members should not follow unlawful orders — the same basic point he has recently attacked when repeated by six Democratic lawmakers.

Reporter Andrew Kaczynski located the clip from an event hosted by the Liberty Forum of Silicon Valley. In the recording, Hegseth said there should be consequences for "abject war crimes" and argued the military will not carry out unlawful orders from a commander-in-chief. He told the audience:

"I do think there have to be consequences for abject war crimes. If you're doing something that is just completely unlawful and ruthless, then there is a consequence for that. That's why the military said it won't follow unlawful orders from their commander-in-chief. There's a standard, there's an ethos. There's a belief that we are above what so many things that our enemies or others would do."

The resurfaced clip comes amid controversy over a recent video posted by Sen. Elissa Slotkin in which six Democratic lawmakers urged service members to follow military codes of conduct and refuse "illegal orders." The lawmakers argued that threats to the Constitution can originate inside the country, not only abroad.

The video featured Sen. Elissa Slotkin and Sen. Mark Kelly, along with Representatives Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, Jason Crow and Chrissy Houlahan — several of whom have prior military or intelligence experience. In the clip the legislators took turns saying, "You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders."

Former President Donald Trump denounced the video as "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR" and said it should be "punishable by DEATH," while Hegseth labeled the participants the "Seditious Six" and suggested at least one could face a military court-martial.

Sen. Slotkin, speaking on ABC, said she was "not aware" of any illegal orders from President Trump. Responding to the resurfaced remarks, Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson said the military has established procedures for handling unlawful orders and emphasized that current orders given to the armed forces are lawful. Wilson characterized the lawmakers' video as a politically motivated effort that could sow distrust within the ranks.

This episode has rekindled debate about civilian oversight of the military, the duty of service members to refuse unlawful commands, and how political rhetoric can influence public perception of the armed forces.