Karoline Leavitt Shockingly Defends Donald Trump’s Call to Execute Members of Congress as Press Secretary Insists He Rejects 'Dangerous Rhetoric'

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended President Donald Trump’s recent call to execute members of Congress for “seditious” behavior, insisting that the president opposes “dangerous rhetoric.”

During a press briefing at the White House on Thursday, November 20, Leavitt was asked if government officials and the military should still follow presidential orders even if they are deemed unlawful by legal experts.

The reporter referenced a recently released video by six Democratic senators and representatives — all military veterans — reminding service members that they are required to refuse unlawful orders. Trump slammed the move as “treason” and suggested lawmakers' actions warranted capital punishment.

“The president expects his Cabinet officials to follow the law and to demand accountability and hold people accountable for their dangerous rhetoric,” Leavitt said. “If these were Republicans that urged defiance of orders from the president and chain of command, this entire room would be up in arms. Instead, it is the other way around. That’s quite telling.”

Trump raised eyebrows earlier that day when he wrote that “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by Death,” via his Truth Social account, hours after reposting an article by The Washington Examiner with the caption, “Democratic veterans in Congress urges service members to refuse unspecified unlawful orders.”

Leavitt was pressed directly by CBS News’ chief White House correspondent, Nancy Cordes, who referenced Trump’s social media post: “This morning, President Trump accused six Democratic lawmakers of seditious behavior punishable by death. Just to be clear, does the President want to execute members of Congress?”

“Let’s be clear about what the president is responding to, because many in this room want to talk about the President’s response, but not what brought the president to responding in this way. You have sitting members of the United States Congress who conspired together to orchestrate a video message to members of the United States military, to active duty service members, to members of the national security apparatus, encouraging them to defy the President’s lawful orders,” replied Leavitt.

Although the Democratic leader's video urged service members to reject unlawful orders, Leavitt warned that defying the chain of command could result in "people getting killed."

"It can lead to chaos, and that’s what these members of Congress, who swore an oath to abide by the Constitution, are essentially encouraging,” Leavitt continued. “We have 1.3 [million] active duty service members in this country, and if they hear this radical message from sitting members of Congress, that could inspire chaos and it could incite violence.”