Grand Jury Rejects Trump DOJ's Bid to Indict Democratic Lawmakers

Former Trump official calls the 'stunning rebuke' a 'big deal' and the beginning of the end of the administration's efforts to 'turn the justice system into a weapon'.

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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The Trump administration failed in its efforts to indict a group of six Democratic lawmakers who warned U.S. military personnel not to follow 'illegal orders,' prompting one former Trump official to call the 'stunning rebuke' a 'big deal' and the beginning of the end of what they described as an effort to turn the justice system 'into a weapon'.

Why it matters

This case highlights the growing resistance within the justice system to the Trump administration's efforts to criminalize political speech and use the legal system as a weapon against its political opponents. It demonstrates that ordinary citizens are increasingly unwilling to help turn the justice system into a tool of political repression.

The details

Last fall, amid the Trump administration's deadly strikes on suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean, six Democratic lawmakers released a video urging service members to defy unlawful commands. This sparked outrage from President Donald Trump, who called their act 'seditious' and 'punishable by death.' The Trump Justice Department then moved to secure an indictment against the six lawmakers from a grand jury, but the grand jury outright rejected the DOJ's request.

  • In the fall of 2025, six Democratic lawmakers released a video urging U.S. military personnel to defy 'illegal orders'.
  • The Trump Justice Department moved to secure an indictment against the six lawmakers from a grand jury.
  • On February 11, 2026, the grand jury rejected the DOJ's request to indict the six lawmakers.

The players

Donald Trump

The former president of the United States who called the Democratic lawmakers' actions 'seditious' and 'punishable by death'.

Miles Taylor

A former Homeland Security senior official under the first Trump administration who called the grand jury's rejection of the DOJ's request a 'stunning rebuke' and 'one of the most important acts of democratic resistance of Trump's second term'.

Letitia James

The New York Attorney General whose indictment the DOJ previously failed to secure from a grand jury.

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What they’re saying

“To me, the most important part of this story isn't that six lawmakers avoided an absurd and unjustifiable indictment at the hands of a wannabe dictator. The bigger story is that ordinary folks, placed inside the machinery of Trump's justice system, are increasingly refusing to help turn it into a weapon.”

— Miles Taylor, Former Homeland Security senior official (Defiance News)

“The public is not playing along with Trump's repression. And every time that happens, it sends a message to him more powerful than any press conference: You can try to scare the country into silence, Mr. President, but you still have to get past the people in the room.”

— Miles Taylor, Former Homeland Security senior official (Defiance News)

What’s next

The six Democratic lawmakers who were the target of the failed indictment are expected to hold a press conference on Thursday to discuss the grand jury's decision and its implications for the ongoing resistance to the Trump administration's efforts to abuse the justice system.

The takeaway

This case highlights the growing resistance within the U.S. justice system to the Trump administration's attempts to use the legal system as a weapon against its political opponents. It demonstrates that ordinary citizens, even those within the machinery of the justice system, are increasingly unwilling to help turn the system into a tool of political repression, sending a powerful message to the former president.