'Refuse illegal orders': Billboard near naval base echoes call from 'seditious' Democrats

An anti-war veterans' group has paid for a billboard near a California naval base to advise U.S. military members to refuse to follow "illegal orders" from the government.

The billboard echoed the message from six Democrats in a November video that was excoriated by President Donald Trump as "seditious." At one point he seemed to warn that they could be put to death over the video.

'To suggest and encourage that active-duty service members defy the chain of command is a very dangerous thing ...'

"The San Diego Veterans for Peace, Hugh Thompson Memorial Chapter #91, is very pleased to announce … a billboard reminding active-duty troops that they have a duty to disobey illegal orders," read a statement from the group.

The billboard appears near the entrance of Naval Base San Diego in Barrio Logan and reads, "Active Duty & National Guard: You have a duty to refuse illegal orders."

A spokesperson for Veterans for Peace said the group is rolling out billboards with the same message near military bases throughout the U.S.

Despite the brutal rhetorical attacks from the president as well as War Secretary Pete Hegseth, the U.S. attorney's office reportedly dropped the effort to indict the six Democrats over the video.

Hegseth also sought to revoke military benefits from Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a veteran and one of the Democrats in the video, and warned that he could face a court-martial. That effort was also thwarted by a judge, who said it threatened to chill the free speech of other military veterans.

RELATED: Trump ally drops effort to prosecute Democrats over 'seditious' video, sources say

Defenders of the "illegal orders" message say they are merely reiterating what is in the U.S. military code. Critics say they are encouraging troops to commit sedition.

"To suggest and encourage that active-duty service members defy the chain of command is a very dangerous thing for sitting members of Congress to do," said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously. "And they should be held accountable."

According to its website, the Veterans for Peace group was founded in 1985 and advocates against war as a policy solution for nations.

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