Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., is being investigated by federal prosecutors after she participated in a video with other Democratic lawmakers urging members of the military and the intelligence community not to follow illegal orders, her office confirmed Tuesday.
Slotkin said in an interview with The New York Times that she found out about the probe from the office of Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Slotkin’s office confirmed her remarks to NBC News but did not elaborate.
“Facts matter little, but the threat matters quite a bit,” Slotkin told the Times. “The threat of legal action; the threat to your family; the threat to your staff; the threat to you.”
Pirro’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.
Slotkin, a former CIA officer who served in Iraq, is the second lawmaker who participated in the video to face an investigation following its release in November.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a retired Navy captain and astronaut, on Monday sued over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s effort to censure and demote him for what the Defense Department described as “seditious statements” in the video. Kelly called the Pentagon’s move “unlawful and unconstitutional.”
Trump previously blasted the Democratic members of Congress in the video, accusing them of committing “seditious behavior.” He said in November that their actions were “punishable by death” but later walked back the remarks, saying he was not threatening them with death but did believe that they are “in serious trouble.”
Other lawmakers who participated in the video include Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Jason Crow of Colorado.
Responding to Trump’s comments at the time, Slotkin said that she received threats immediately and that Capitol Police told her she would be put under 24/7 security.
NBC News reported this week that Pirro, a Trump ally, opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, a frequent punching bag for Trump as he calls for lower interest rates. Powell said Sunday that the Justice Department was threatening the Fed with possible criminal indictment over his testimony before Congress last year about the renovation of the central bank’s offices.
