'How can you not condemn?' GOP lawmaker cornered on CNN over Trump's dark threats
November 21, 2025
CNN anchor Pamela Brown clashed on Friday morning with Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), as he initially tried to defend President Donald Trump's call to execute military-background Democratic lawmakers who published a video reminding troops they can refuse illegal orders — something the administration is already trying to backpedal on.
"When you look at it, what they're doing is they're advocating troops, not obey orders from the President of the United States," said Zinke, who also previously served in Trump's first administration cabinet.
"Unlawful. Unlawful orders," Brown reminded him.
"But they also said this president is unconstitutional," Zinke insisted. "Show me where the president is unconstitutional. Show me where execution of a lawful order is unconstitutional. That's the definition of sedition."
"You clearly don't agree with what the Democratic members of Congress did. Several Republicans have said that," said Brown. "But this is not your typical political back-and-forth, right? Okay. So the president doesn't like that video, but then he released this post accusing them of sedition punishable by death, and talking about being hanged, because that's what George Washington would do. He retweeted that. I mean, is that appropriate behavior from the sitting president?"
"There's a difference between the UCMJ and civilian freedom of speech," said Zinke. "The UCMJ is pretty clear, it is punishable by death, sedition. You read it now. They are not in the armed services. There are former members. But if you — if you're advocating for troops to disobey lawful orders, that's the definition of sedition."
"It was unlawful orders," Brown corrected him again. "But but how can you not unequivocally condemn what the president did here?"
"Well, I don't like — I don't like what either did, quite frankly, on that," said Zinke. "But ... when you're advocating, remember, this presidency is unconstitutional. That's a quote in this ad—"
At this point, Brown put up the original video of the Democratic lawmakers on CNN and played it in its entirety.
"Okay, so now everyone has heard this, they did not say that the president is unconstitutional," said Brown as Zinke tried to talk over her. "Let me just be clear, though ... I'm going to let you say your piece. It is true that some of these orders coming from the president are in the courts, right, when it comes to National Guard in American cities. It is true that the U.K. and others view what is happening with Venezuela and the strikes as illegal, right? They did not specify that, although we did have a Democratic lawmaker on, who was in that video, saying that this was about what the president has done."
"So you can disagree with everything said in that video, but is it appropriate what the president did?" Brown pressed him.
"Well, I think, you know, what was the purpose?" said Zinke. "The purpose is to do what? Why did they produce this? The purpose is to incite, to advocate the troops, don't obey orders."
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