By Gloria Ogbonna
During Wednesday’s broadcast of NBC’s Meet the Press NOW, Chrissy Houlahan addressed questions surrounding the legality of U.S. military strikes on Iran and clarified comments she previously made in a video urging service members to refuse unlawful military orders.
The issue arose after host Kristen Welker asked Houlahan about a video she released earlier in the year with several colleagues. In that video, the lawmakers reminded military and intelligence personnel that they have both the right and the obligation to refuse orders they believe are illegal under the law.
The message sparked national debate and political controversy, particularly after critics argued that such statements could undermine military discipline.
Welker asked whether Houlahan believed the recent U.S. strikes against Iran might fall into the category of illegal orders that service members should refuse.
In response, Houlahan said she has been reflecting on the question but emphasized that military personnel should generally presume that directives from the president are lawful.
“I’ve been mulling that one over,” Houlahan said during the interview. “I think it’s an interesting question. But I believe that you are to assume that the orders of the president are lawful orders. As we wrestle with this issue, we should start from the assumption that those orders are lawful.”
Houlahan also clarified that the earlier video was not specifically about the Iran situation. Instead, she said it referred to broader concerns about how military forces could be used in different contexts, including situations involving Venezuela or potential domestic deployments within the United States.
According to Houlahan, the video was intended to remind service members of existing legal principles rather than encourage defiance of military leadership. She noted that U.S. law clearly states that soldiers are not required to follow orders that violate the Constitution or federal law, a principle embedded in military codes and training.
She explained that the message in the video was focused on ensuring that troops understand their constitutional obligations, particularly in sensitive scenarios involving the use of National Guard units or reserve forces domestically.
Houlahan added that the legal foundation for the video’s message was reaffirmed during legal review proceedings involving a grand jury. She said the jurors — ordinary citizens reviewing the issue — agreed that the lawmakers in the video were simply restating established law rather than promoting insubordination.
“I wasn’t saying anything that isn’t just stating the law,” Houlahan said. “That was affirmed by the grand jury that met, and all twelve of the regular, everyday citizens affirmed that my colleagues and I were literally simply stating the law.”
The discussion comes amid ongoing political debate in Washington over the president’s authority to conduct military operations without explicit congressional approval. Some lawmakers have raised questions about whether the strikes against Iran fall within the president’s constitutional war powers, while others argue the actions are necessary for national security.
Houlahan, a former U.S. Air Force officer and member of Congress, reiterated that while debates over military authority and war powers are important, service members must continue to operate under the assumption that orders from the commander in chief are lawful unless clearly proven otherwise.
Source Breitbart
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