By Katherine Dailey, Michigan Advance
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin has notified U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro that she will not interview with the Justice Department over a video put out in November by her and several other lawmakers, all former military and intelligence officers, urging military members to “refuse illegal orders.”
“I’m not going to legitimize their actions,” Slotkin, a Democrat from Holly, said in a video statement posted to X. “They are purposely using physical and legal intimidation to get me to shut up. But more importantly, they’re using that intimidation to deter others from speaking out against their administration. The intimidation is the point.”
The request for an interview, made in January by Pirro’s office, was part of an investigation by the Justice Department into Slotkin, for the video, which had made her and the other Democratic lawmakers in the video targets of President Donald Trump’s social media anger.
Today, I sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro informing them that I will not be sitting down with them for their inquiry over a 90-second video I filmed in November.
Here’s why. pic.twitter.com/zEjm2wiKhI
— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) February 5, 2026
Slotkin also said in her video Thursday that she has asked Pirro and Bondi to retain their records on this case in the case that she files a lawsuit against them for the violation of her constitutional rights.
“This is about more than just my case,” she said. “It’s about the ability to speak your mind and have freedom from fear. Because if they can do this to a sitting senator, imagine what they can do to a community leader, a business leader or a mom who goes viral on the internet.”
“I did this to go on offense,” Slotkin told the Associated Press on Wednesday. “And to put them in a position where they’re tap dancing. To put them in a position where they have to own their choices of using a U.S. attorney’s office to come after a senator.”
She also said that if faced with a subpoena — the requests for interviews have been voluntary thus far — “I’d take a hard look at it.”
“If I’m encouraging other people to take risk, how can I not then accept risk myself?” Slotkin said to the AP. “I think you’ve got to show people that we’re not going to lay down and take it.”
Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jon King for questions: info@michiganadvance.com.
