Trump's demand for imprisonment for Democrats gets a nod

TT

Published 10.28

 

US President Donald Trump wanted to see imprisonment for Democrats who urged military to disobey "illegal orders". Now the indictment is dismissed by a federal jury. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein /AP/TT

A federal jury in Washington has rejected the Justice Department's attempt to indict six Democratic congressmen.

In a video posted on social media in November, the members - all of whom have backgrounds in the US military and intelligence services - urged that the military should "refuse illegal orders".

US President Donald Trump called the members "traitors" who should be imprisoned, and that it was "sedition of the highest order" and "punishable by death".

Trump has deployed the National Guard to American cities in a crackdown on illegal immigration and ordered military strikes in Nigeria, Iran, and on suspected smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Pacific that have killed at least 130 people.

The attempt to indict the Democrats was rejected on Tuesday by a federal grand jury, which is highly unusual.