Dems sidestep past ‘refuse illegal orders’ demands as they challenge Trump’s Iran war authority

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Democrats brush past calls from their own party to "ignore illegal orders" despite calling conflict in Iran legally dubious. (Credit: Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital) Amid ongoing hostilities with Iran, Democrats brushed off past calls from some figures in their party for U.S. armed forces to "refuse illegal orders," even as they broadly maintained that President Donald Trump's use of the military is on shaky footing without lawmaker approval. "The troops are in no way to blame for this illegal war. Responsibility lies solely and simply with the president," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said. "We support the troops always. They’re following orders," Rep. Daren Soto, D-Fla., said. "This is about a debate of whether we should be there or not." The comments come just months after six members of Congress with military backgrounds urged service