Pirro Says Never Mind on Those Insubordination Charges - New York Magazine

Jeanine Pirro’s tenure leading the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., has been marked by a poor record in court. The former judge and onetime Fox News host has seen several cases she has brought against protesters and other anti-Trump figures fall apart in front of grand juries, including a well-publicized failure to indict a resident for hurling a sandwich at a federal agent stationed in the capital city last year.

Now, following another one of those setbacks, her office is reportedly dropping its pursuit of a group of Democratic members of Congress whom President Donald Trump has accused of treason. Sources tell NBC News that the U.S. attorney will stop seeking legal action against the six Democratic lawmakers who filmed a video urging members of the military and the nation’s intelligence community to refuse illegal orders, in a clear shot at Trump and his administration.

The reported move comes just weeks after a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., rejected Pirro’s efforts to obtain an indictment against the Democrats, a once rare occurrence that has become common during Trump’s second term.

In the video, six lawmakers — Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Representative Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, Representatives Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, and Representative Jason Crow of Colorado — warn members of the military and intelligence communities that the Trump administration is pitting them against their fellow American citizens. “Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders,” they say in the clip. “No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.” All six had previously served in a military or intelligence capacity.

Trump denounced the video as “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL” in a Truth Social post, calling the lawmakers “traitors” and calling for them to be “ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL.”

While federal prosecution might be off the table for now, at least one of the members has been forced to fend off a more targeted attack from the government. Kelly, a former astronaut and Naval pilot, filed a lawsuit challenging a letter of censure and the pursuit of a reduction in his military rank from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who accused the Arizona senator of “seditious statements” and “reckless misconduct.” Earlier this month, a federal judge blocked Hegseth’s efforts to demote Kelly, a ruling the secretary vowed to appeal.

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