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Lawmakers from the Democratic party voiced outrage after Donald Trump charged a coalition of Democratic legislators of being "traitors" and asserted they should be taken into custody and penalized "through capital punishment" following their posting of a contentious video.

The Recording That Sparked the Controversy

The video footage, published on earlier this week, showcases six Democratic lawmakers who in the past acted in armed forces or intelligence capacities.

"Similar to us, you all took an oath to defend and uphold this constitution," the representatives declared in the 90-second video. "At present, the threats to our democratic foundation aren't just from abroad, but from domestically. Our regulations are clear, you can decline illegal orders, you can decline improper directives, you have to reject illegal orders. No one has to carry out directives that contravene the law or our national charter."

Trump's Furious Reaction

The clip seemed to provoke a furious reaction from the ex-president.

On Thursday morning, Trump published on his social media platform: "This represents SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL."

In a separate message, he wrote: "This is really bad, and Risky to our Nation. Their words cannot be allowed to remain. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???"

In a subsequent publication, he stated: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" He also redistributed a statement that said: "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!"

Party Leaders Answer

Following Trump's statements on Thursday, House Democratic leader published a joint declaration censuring the comments.

"Political violence has no position in the United States," they wrote. "Representatives who were featured in the video all acted our nation with exceptional patriotism and distinction. We unequivocally condemn Donald Trump's disgusting and harmful calls for execution against elected officials, and call on Republican lawmakers to vigorously do the same."

The Democratic leaders also said that they had been in communication with law enforcement "to make certain the protection of these members and their families."

"Donald Trump must without delay remove these extreme social media posts and retract his violent rhetoric before he gets someone killed," the statement added.

Representatives' Defiant Reaction

The representatives who were featured in the video also issued a statement.

"We are veterans and security experts who love this United States and took an pledge to protect and uphold the constitution of the United States," they said. "This commitment is permanent, and we plan to keep it. No warning, pressure, or incitement will prevent us from that fundamental responsibility."

"The most revealing aspect is that the ex-president deems it liable to punishment by death for us to repeat the legal requirements," they stated. "Armed forces members should recognize that we have their support as they fulfill their pledge to the constitution and obligation to follow only legal commands. It is not only the correct thing to do, but also our duty."

They stated: "The entire nation must come together and censure the former president's requests for our death and partisan aggression. This is a moment for principled stance."

Additional Governmental Responses

The Opposition leader also censured Trump's statements and shared on online networks: "It's important to understand: the ex-commander in chief is requesting the execution of elected officials."

He continued: "This is an direct THREAT. All senators, every Representative, the entire nation – without partisan consideration – should censure this right away and absolutely."

The Conservative official defended Trump's claim that the Democrats had participated in "treason", describing the video as "extremely improper", commenting: "This constitutes very harmful, you have prominent officials of the government instructing military personnel to defy commands, I think that represents historic in US history."

The Conservative representative also according to sources stated to media outlets that in what he examined of Trump's posts, Trump was "defining the offense of treason" but that "legal experts have to analyze the wording and establish all that."

White House Statement

During a executive branch meeting on Thursday afternoon, when questioned by a media member, "Does the president want to execute congressional representatives?", the executive branch representative answered: "Absolutely not."

"It's important to note about what the president is addressing," the spokesperson said. "There are current representatives of the American legislature who coordinated to orchestrate a recorded statement to personnel of the American armed forces, to current military personnel encouraging them to ignore the executive's legal commands."

She said: "The sanctity of our armed forces depends on the command structure, and if that system is compromised, it can cause casualties, it can cause chaos, and that is exactly what these elected officials ... are basically promoting."