INKSTER, Mich. — U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin said Tuesday the Federal Bureau of Investigation's counter terrorism division has launched an "inquiry" into her and five other Democratic lawmakers who created a video reminding members of the military that they may defy illegal orders.

"Last night, the counterterrorism division at the FBI sent a note to the members of Congress saying they are opening what appears to be an inquiry against the six of us," Slotkin told reporters Tuesday at a fire hall in Inkster.

"This is a scare tactic by him," Slotkin added of President Donald Trump. "He is attempting to use the FBI to scare us out of continuing to talk and have (news) conferences like this."

Slotkin, in a joint statement with the other Democrats, said the FBI had requested interviews with each lawmaker via the House and Senate sergeants at arms. They accused Trump of "using the FBI as a tool to intimidate and harass members of Congress."

A Justice Department official told Reuters the FBI interviews with the lawmakers were to determine "if there's any wrongdoing, and then go from there." The FBI declined to comment.

The news of the FBI inquiry followed the Pentagon's announcement on Monday that it was investigating Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona for possible breaches of military law for the former Navy pilot's role in the video with Slotkin.

Slotkin, a former Central Intelligence Agency officer who served in Iraq, last week posted a video on social media made with five other Democrats saying military members can refuse unspecified illegal orders. "No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution," the lawmakers said.

Trump responded in fury, accusing the six Democrats of sedition and calling for their arrest, prosecution and possible execution.

"SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!" Trump wrote in one post on his Truth Social platform.

The other Democrats are U.S. Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire.

Slotkin said Tuesday that Trump has turned the federal law enforcement agency against the six sitting members of Congress.

"To be honest, the president's reaction and use of the FBI against us is exactly why we need the video — he believes in using the federal government against his perceived adversaries, and he's not afraid to use the arms of the government against people he disagrees with," the first-term senator said.

Slotkin and the other lawmakers have emphasized that they were merely restating the law in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which says service members may push back on illegal orders.

"Legal orders should always be followed. We're just talking about illegal orders," Slotkin said Tuesday.

The lawmakers in the video did not refer to any specific illegal order.

But Slotkin said Tuesday she and the others were responding to the many uniformed members of the military and veterans who approached the lawmakers with "real concerns" and questions about the legality of orders, asking for advice about "things they were asked to do or concerned they might be asked to do."

She said this came up in regard to the deployment of the National Guard in U.S. cities and with recent lethal strikes in the Caribbean Sea against alleged drug boats.

"This is unfortunately not a hypothetical conversation," Slotkin said, noting Trump's reported suggestion in 2020 to his then-defense secretary to "shoot at" the legs of unarmed protesters in Washington, D.C.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the "radical" message from the Democratic group could "inspire chaos, and it could incite violence, and it certainly could disrupt the chain of command."

Leavitt claimed the group was encouraging service members to defy "lawful orders," but they instead said "you can refuse illegal orders," and "you must refuse illegal orders."

"That is a very, very dangerous message, and it perhaps is punishable by law. I'm not a lawyer. I'll leave that to the Department of Justice and the Department of War to decide," Leavitt said during a Thursday White House press briefing.

Leavitt also contended that all the president's orders as commander in chief are lawful.

The U.S. Capitol Police assigned around-the-clock protection to Slotkin on Thursday, hours after Trump targeted her and the other five lawmakers on social media. She had a bomb threat to her Holly home late Friday.

Slotkin said as soon as she saw the president's reaction to the video, "I knew our security situation was going to change precipitously."

"Obviously, I’m worried about my family, I'm worried about my staff," Slotkin said. "I've served three tours in Iraq, I've done dangerous things. I signed up for this, but my family didn't. My nieces and nephews didn't."

But the senator said she doesn't believe the president's actions represent "who we are" as a country.

"I refuse to believe that this is the new normal," Slotkin said. "I'm not going to accept that."

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