President Donald Trump appeared to inadvertently amplify a call for his third impeachment during a social media rant about Democrats.
The X post was reshared as part of the president’s Truth Social spree Sunday as he railed against six Democratic lawmakers who made a video reminding active military service members to ignore orders that defy the U.S. Constitution.
Trump appeared to be trying to support his claim - that the Democrats were encouraging the military to resist orders - by sharing a screenshot of the group’s video from the X account.
The X account has the profile name, “Impeach Trump a 3rd Time!” A closer look revealed that the account has been posting anti-Trump rhetoric since 2022, though it is also labeled “parody account.”
The parody account’s post had been mocking another X user for claiming the Democrats were telling service members to question orders.
The post used a screenshot of one of the group, Senator Mark Kelly, a U.S. Navy veteran, telling military service members: “You can refuse illegal orders.”
The Democrats, all former members of the military or intelligence community, made the video last week in response to the Trump administration’s lethal boat strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, conducted without congressional approval.
The administration has alleged the vessels are trafficking narcotics. More than 80 people have been killed as a result of the strikes, and the administration has provided no evidence that the boats are drug-trafficking “narco terrorists.”
Although the Democrats did not name a specific order that may have defied the Constitution in the video, the message has struck a nerve with the president.
Trump has called the six Democrats “seditious” and claimed their behavior was “punishable by death.” He also warned they would face consequences for making the video – though legal experts have said the Democrats did not appear to break any laws.
Despite that, the Department of Defense announced Monday it was investigating Kelly, a retired naval captain, for violating a military law that prohibits people from disseminating material that interferes with loyalty or promotes insubordination of the armed forces.
Kelly has denied wrongdoing and condemned the president for attempting to intimidate him.
It’s unclear if Trump was aware that he re-posted an account that appears to consistently criticize him. The re-shared post remained on the president’s Truth Social account Tuesday.
