US Representative Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire is striking a defiant tone, as she and fellow Democratic lawmakers who released a video in November calling on US military personnel to “refuse illegal orders” say they are being scrutinized by the US Department of Justice.
Goodlander, a former US Navy Reserve intelligence officer who once worked at the DOJ as a deputy assistant attorney general, said President Trump threatened violence against her for urging service members to uphold what she described as “a bedrock principle of American law.”
In response to the 90-second video, Trump called Goodlander and five of her colleagues “traitors” and suggested they should be imprisoned for sedition, an offense he noted is punishable by death. The following day, police investigated a bomb threat at Goodlander’s office in Concord.
A spokesperson for Goodlander said this week that the congresswoman had received an inquiry from Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, regarding her participation in the video. Others who appeared in the video reported they had been contacted in similar fashion.
It’s not immediately clear what steps Pirro may have taken since November. A spokesperson said Thursday that her office doesn’t confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.
Goodlander has faced criticism from Republican leaders in New Hampshire, some of whom denounced the video as an irresponsible political stunt that could put troops in harm’s way. The blowback from Trump may also be boosting Goodlander’s profile on a national stage.
Goodlander’s acknowledgment of the DOJ’s prior outreach comes after Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan — who organized and released the video — said Pirro’s office had contacted her in early January.
That’s also when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he would censure Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona for participating in the video. Kelly, a retired US Navy captain who faces a potential demotion and reduction in military benefits, responded this week with a lawsuit against the Pentagon.
In a statement, Goodlander said it is “downright dangerous that the Justice Department is targeting me for doing my job.”
President Trump threatened me with violence and the Justice Department is targeting me for doing my job.
— Maggie Goodlander (@MaggieG603) January 15, 2026
These threats are designed to intimidate, distract, and silence me.
But here's what's true about me: they won’t.
I love our country, and I swore an oath to our… pic.twitter.com/sD6PcSXT7t
“These threats will not deter, distract, intimidate, or silence me,” she added. “I will continue doing my job and upholding my oath to our Constitution. And I will never give up the ship.”
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