“We are not scared of Trump’s regime.” Ken Martin reacts after grand jury declines to indict six Democrats
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin blasted what he called an attempt to “weaponize the government” after a grand jury declined to indict six Democratic members of Congress in a case tied to a video urging U.S. service members to refuse illegal orders.
The Trump administration’s attempt to indict six Democratic members of Congress was an anti-American effort to weaponize the government against those who had the courage to speak out—and it was soundly rejected by a grand jury of Americans.
— Ken Martin (@kenmartin73) February 11, 2026
We are not scared of Trump’s regime. https://t.co/etmxQwgA82
Martin made the comments in a post on X that amplified a viral clip and framed the outcome as a rejection of the Justice Department’s pursuit of charges. “The Trump administration’s attempt to indict six Democratic members of Congress was an anti-American effort to weaponize the government against those who had the courage to speak out—and it was soundly rejected by a grand jury of Americans,” Martin wrote.
News reports said federal prosecutors had presented the case to a grand jury but failed to secure indictments. The controversy centered on a video in which the lawmakers urged service members to follow the Constitution and disobey unlawful directives—language that drew scrutiny from Trump administration officials and allies, who argued it crossed a legal line.
The development unfolded as Attorney General Pam Bondi faced lawmakers on Capitol Hill in a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing focused on the Department of Justice. Bondi testified this week as Democrats pressed the administration over its priorities and enforcement posture, according to coverage and congressional materials from the hearing.
The Justice Department has not released a detailed public accounting of what specific charges it sought against the six Democrats, and the lawmakers involved have not all commented publicly in the same level of detail. But Martin and other Democrats portrayed the grand jury decision as a rebuke to what they say is a pattern of politically charged investigations.
Republicans and administration allies, meanwhile, have argued that elected officials should not encourage disobedience within the military—particularly in a tense political climate—and have pushed for tougher enforcement around rhetoric they believe undermines public trust. The grand jury’s decision means no criminal case will move forward on those proposed counts unless prosecutors return with different evidence or a new theory, legal analysts noted in coverage of the decision.
Martin closed his post with a direct message: “We are not scared of Trump’s regime.” The line quickly circulated among Democratic accounts and activists online, while conservative accounts framed the episode as another example of Democrats, in their view, testing boundaries without consequence.
