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Democratic officials voiced anger after the ex-president alleged a group of Democratic congress members of being "turncoats" and stated they should be taken into custody and sentenced "through capital punishment" following their publication of a contentious video.

The Content That Provoked the Debate

The clip, published on earlier this week, features six Democratic elected officials who previously worked in military or intelligence positions.

"As we did, you all made an pledge to defend and uphold this constitution," the lawmakers declared in the short video. "And right now, the threats to our governing document don't only come from overseas, but from domestically. Our statutes are clear, you can reject improper directives, you can refuse illegal orders, you have to decline illegal orders. No one has to follow commands that violate the statutes or our constitution."

Donald Trump's Furious Response

The recorded statement appeared to prompt a furious reaction from the previous commander-in-chief.

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

In another publication, he stated: "This is really bad, and Harmful to our Nation. Their words cannot be allowed to persist. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???"

In a third message, he continued: "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, liable by DEATH!" He also reposted a comment that said: "HANG THEM GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD !!"

Party Officials Answer

Following Trump's remarks on Thursday, House Democratic leader released a joint announcement condemning the statements.

"Partisan aggression has no position in this nation," they wrote. "Elected officials who were featured in the video all served our country with tremendous loyalty and excellence. We clearly condemn Donald Trump's offensive and harmful threats of violence against members of Congress, and urge Republican lawmakers to strongly do the same."

The party representatives also said that they had been in touch with law enforcement "to make certain the security of these officials and their families."

"Donald Trump must immediately remove these unhinged online messages and withdraw his violent discourse before he leads to violence," the statement continued.

Lawmakers' Defiant Answer

The officials who participated in the video also issued a response.

"We identify as veterans and national security professionals who value this United States and took an oath to safeguard and defend the constitution of the United States," they stated. "Our pledge is permanent, and we aim to keep it. No warning, pressure, or promotion of aggression will prevent us from that sacred responsibility."

"The significant point is that the ex-president views it punishable by death for us to repeat the statutes," they stated. "Military personnel should know that we have their backs as they carry out their pledge to the founding principles and duty to follow only proper directives. It is not only the right thing to do, but also our duty."

They stated: "Every American must come together and denounce the ex-president's demands for our execution and political violence. This is a time for ethical certainty."

More Governmental Reactions

The Democratic Senate minority leader also denounced Trump's comments and shared on social media: "It's important to understand: the President of the United States is demanding the death of government members."

He stated: "This represents an clear THREAT. Every Senator, every Representative, every American – without partisan consideration – should condemn this right away and without qualification."

The Republican House speaker defended Trump's allegation that the Democrats had engaged in "treason", describing the video as "extremely improper", commenting: "It is very harmful, you have prominent officials of the government advising soldiers to disobey orders, I think that is unprecedented in American history."

The GOP official also allegedly informed media outlets that in what he examined of Trump's posts, Trump was "describing the offense of treason" but that "attorneys have to analyze the language and establish all that."

Executive Branch Statement

During a executive branch meeting on Thursday afternoon, when asked by a media member, "Is the president want to kill members of Congress?", the White House press secretary responded: "Absolutely not."

"Let's be clear about what the former president is reacting to," the representative said. "There are active officials of the American legislature who worked together to orchestrate a recorded statement to members of the American armed forces, to serving soldiers encouraging them to defy the executive's legal commands."

She said: "The purity of our armed forces depends on the chain of command, and if that structure is compromised, it can cause fatalities, it can cause confusion, and precisely what these members of Congress ... are fundamentally encouraging."