FBI seeks interviews with six Democrats Trump accused of 'seditious behavior'
Selective Outrage: The Weaponization of "Seditious Behavior" and the Erosion of Equal Justice
Selective Outrage: The Weaponization of "Seditious Behavior" and the Erosion of Equal Justice
The recent news that the FBI is seeking to interview six Democratic lawmakers—Representatives Ted Lieu, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and others—over a video they produced in the summer of 2020 has ignited a familiar firestorm in Washington. The narrative, as presented by the lawmakers and their allies in the media, is one of brazen intimidation. They are the valiant defenders of democracy, facing down the long arm of a weaponized state at the behest of a vengeful former president. But to the conservative observer, this episode is not an isolated case of political persecution; it is a masterclass in progressive hypocrisy and a stark illustration of the two-tiered system of justice that has become the defining feature of the modern American political landscape.
To understand the conservative perspective on this issue, one must first revisit the context of the video in question. Released in the incendiary summer of 2020, a period marked by widespread riots that caused billions in property damage and resulted in numerous deaths, the video featured the lawmakers in a stark, dramatic production. They directly addressed members of the U.S. military and the intelligence community, urging them not to follow "illegal orders" from then-President Donald Trump. They spoke of a leader who would "tear our democracy down," implicitly framing the Commander-in-Chief as an imminent threat to the constitutional order.
From a conservative viewpoint, this was not a sober, patriotic plea for constitutional fidelity. It was a politically charged act that bordered on insubordination and, at the very least, could be construed as a deliberate attempt to politicize the nation’s armed forces. The U.S. military’s strength lies in its apolitical nature, its allegiance to the Constitution, not to the transient occupant of the Oval Office. For sitting members of Congress to openly suggest that the President might issue "illegal orders" for the specific purpose of subverting democracy was an incendiary act. It planted a seed of distrust and discord within the chain of command, a serious action with profound implications for national security and civilian control of the military.
This is where the conservative critique finds its foundation. The term "seditious behavior," which Trump reportedly used in his complaint to the FBI, is a loaded one. Sedition is a serious crime, defined as conduct or speech inciting rebellion against the authority of the state. While the Democrats' video may have been inflammatory and irresponsible, applying the legal label of "seditious conspiracy" to it feels like a political stretch. However, the conservative argument is not necessarily that these lawmakers should be charged with sedition. Rather, it is about the glaring, breathtaking double standard that their investigation reveals.
For the past five years, conservatives have watched as the principle of "equal justice under law" has been systematically dismantled. They watched as the same FBI that rushed to investigate a duly elected president based on a spurious, Clinton-campaign-funded dossier, displayed a palpable lack of urgency in investigating the business dealings of the President’s son. They watched as the Department of Justice pursued parents at school board meetings as potential domestic terrorists, while often turning a blind eye to the coordinated violence and property destruction of certain left-wing groups during the 2020 riots.
Most pointedly, they watched as hundreds of Americans who entered the Capitol on January 6th were pursued with the full, unrelenting force of the federal government. Many of these individuals, while guilty of trespass and disorderly conduct, have been labeled "insurrectionists" and "seditious conspirators," facing decades in prison. The conservative perspective does not seek to excuse the lawlessness of that day; anyone who broke the law should be held accountable. But the accountability must be blind.
Where was this fervent pursuit of justice when federal courthouses were besieged in Portland for nights on end? Where was the FBI’s urgent investigation into the politicians and public figures who, during the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, openly surrounded the Supreme Court building, pounding on its doors in an attempt to intimidate the justices? Where is the investigation into the individuals who have repeatedly protested outside the homes of conservative justices, a clear attempt to influence the judiciary that arguably violates federal law?
The silence then is deafening compared to the clamor now. The investigation into these six Democrats, therefore, is not seen as a righteous application of the law, but as a potential Pandora's Box. Conservatives argue: if this is the new standard for political speech—if urging military personnel to disobey orders now warrants an FBI investigation—then let that standard be applied equally. Let us see the FBI open investigations into every public figure who has ever used inflammatory rhetoric that could be interpreted as inciting unrest or encouraging defiance of government authority.
This, of course, would be an untenable and illiberal state of affairs. It would criminalize political hyperbole and plunge the nation into a cycle of endless, retaliatory investigations. This is precisely the conservative point. The goal is not to see political opponents jailed for their speech, but to expose the dangerous game being played by the left. They have championed the weaponization of federal institutions against their political enemies, and now, through a twist of fate, they have gotten a taste of their own medicine. Their cries of "intimidation" ring hollow to those who have been on the receiving end of this tactic for years.
The fundamental conservative principle at stake here is the rule of law, not the rule of men. A system where the law is applied selectively based on political affiliation is not a justice system at all; it is a tool of oppression. The Founders, wary of the tyranny they had just escaped, designed a republic with checks and balances precisely to prevent this kind of factional weaponization. The FBI and the Department of Justice are meant to be non-partisan arbiters of justice, their power restrained and their missions clear. When those institutions are perceived, rightly or wrongly, as the enforcement arm of one political party, the very social contract that binds the nation together begins to fray.
The appropriate response from those who believe in limited government and individual liberty is not to cheer for the investigation of these six Democrats. Two wrongs have never made a right. The appropriate response is to demand a return to a single, impartial standard of justice. It is to call for a radical de-escalation of the political warfare that has infected every branch of government.
The video produced by Representatives Lieu and Ocasio-Cortez was, in the conservative view, a reckless and damaging piece of political theater. It undermined the presidency and sought to inject partisan division into the heart of the nation's military. It was, at best, in poor judgment. But in a free society, poor judgment is not a crime. If it were, half of Washington would be behind bars.
The true scandal is not that these lawmakers are being investigated—it is that so many others, on only one side of the political aisle, have acted with impunity for so long. Until the Department of Justice and the FBI can demonstrate a consistent, color-blind, and ideology-blind application of the law, every new investigation will be viewed through a partisan lens. The interviews with these six Democrats are not a victory for accountability; they are merely another symptom of a republic in deep crisis, where the scales of justice have been tilted for so long that they now threaten to spill over entirely. The conservative plea is not for vengeance, but for a return to the foundational principle that has kept America united for over two centuries: that we are a nation of laws, not of men.
#Seditious #SeditiousBehavior #Insurection #MarkKelly #Military #Trump