Rep. Chris Deluzio rebukes Trump again after DOJ 'tried and failed to indict me'

Sam Janesch, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Feb 11, 2026

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, after a report that federal prosecutors had tried and failed to indict him and five of his colleagues over statements that drew President Donald Trump's ire last fall, said once again Tuesday night that he would not back down from speaking out against the president.

"I will not be intimidated for a single second by the Trump Administration or Justice Department lawyers who tried and failed to indict me today," Deluzio, D-Pa., wrote on social media after The New York Times reported about the failed indictments.

Prosecutors asked a grand jury in Washington to bring charges against Deluzio and the other Democrats, according to the Times and other reports, over a video the group released in November that called for troops and intelligence officers to "refuse illegal orders."

Though the Democrats said they were simply restating the law, Trump lashed out — calling the group "seditious" and saying their behavior was "punishable by death."

The violent rhetoric was denounced by other Democrats as Deluzio's district offices — and those of his colleagues, including U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, of Chester County — received bomb threats. The administration also appeared to launch other investigations into the veterans, including an inquiry from the FBI.

Deluzio, whose district spans Beaver County and parts of Allegheny County, said the efforts were intended to "intimidate and harass members of Congress."

The attempted indictments by a grand jury appeared to be an escalation of those efforts. Prosecutors intended to convince grand jurors that the officials had violated a law that prohibits interfering with loyalty or discipline in the military, according to the Times.

Deluzio said in an interview he was not aware of the grand jury case before news reports about it Tuesday night. He said he was "shocked, surprised and relieved, for now."

"It's an outrageous abuse of power," he told the Post-Gazette.

He and the others — Houlahan; U.S. Sens. Elissa Slotkin, of Michigan, and Mark Kelly, of Arizona; and U.S. Reps. Jason Crow, of Colorado, and Maggie Goodlander, of New Hampshire — had previously said they were not asking active duty military to disobey specific orders.

"American citizens on a grand jury refused to go along with this attempt to charge me with a crime for stating the law in a way Trump and his enablers didn't like," Deluzio wrote on social media Tuesday night. "They may want Americans to be afraid to speak out or to disagree — but patriotism demands courage in this moment. DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP!"

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