Throughout Monday’s Morning Joe, co-host Joe Scarborough applauded “good” Democrats for one way or the other deceiving Republicans into defending unlawful orders given to the navy. This got here the week after a number of Democrats solid doubt onto President Trump’s management and his subsequent backlash.
Co-host Mika Brzezinski praised the Democrat’s video and known as for much more: “I like what they did. I believe they need to do extra of placing out easy movies stating the reality.”
Scarborough and Washington Submit columnist David Ignatius then role-played as these Democrats with a purpose to lecture navy commanders about refusing to obey unlawful orders: “You swore an oath to guard and defend the Structure, which implies our authorized system. You sworn that oath. You do not have a alternative.”
Textbook ethical grandstanding. Army commanders are positively incapable of figuring out blatantly unlawful orders for themselves with out Congressional Democrats hovering and casting doubt. Thanks, guys.
Scarborough then, with out naming who, known as out a selected particular person for supposedly saying Democrats need to intrude with Trump’s authority:
They’ve made fools of themselves. Like folks — I noticed one lug head that goes on CNN frequently saying, “Oh, they clearly are attempting to take down the chain of command.” No, that is — if he knew something concerning the navy, he would know that after they elevate their proper hand and swear an oath, they swear an oath to comply with the Structure and never comply with unlawful orders.
It wasn’t instantly clear who precisely Scarborough was referring to. The closest match discovered was made by Shermichael Singleton, a CNN political commentator and Republican strategist, who stated this on CNN Newsroom on Sunday:
… with all due respect to these lawmakers, and we definitely thank them for his or her service to our nation, they’ve carried out the very factor that they’ve accused Donald Trump of doing many instances, and that’s to politicize, on this occasion, the chain of command. In the event that they need to weaken Trump politically, there are a slew of points that I believe Democrats may discuss.
Singleton was calling out Democrats for his or her hypocrisy. If that was the second Scarborough was referring to, that may be a fairly poor illustration of what he stated.
Scarborough then lauded the Democrats for one way or the other tricking Republicans into defending unlawful orders:
SCARBOROUGH: This was an excellent transfer. I can not consider I am even saying this concerning the Democratic Celebration.
BRZEZINSKI: So good.
SCARBOROUGH: This was an excellent transfer by Democrats for 2 causes. One, they’ve Republicans truly defending unlawful orders. Like, these folks within the MAGA sphere, this lunk head on CNN, they’re so silly that they are defending unlawful orders. So, bravo Democrats there.
The obvious mistake is that Republicans haven’t defended unlawful orders… as a result of there have been no unlawful orders to defend. All through this system earlier, the Morning Joe crew talked about sending troops into the streets as unlawful. To date, Trump’s Nationwide Guard deployments have been in accordance with legislation and courtroom rulings.
Scarborough continued to reward Democrats for his or her “brilliance” and Brzezinski, once more, known as for extra:
SCARBOROUGH: And it was an excellent transfer. And I’ve bought to say, the Republicans — not the Republicans, essentially the most excessive MAGA defenders […] walked proper into their entice. […] I used to be shocked, they had been so silly. However they really are proper now those saying that Democrats are dangerous for saying you may’t comply with unlawful orders. It’s kinda good by the Democrats.
BRZEZINSKI: Do extra.
What’s much more good was Scarborough’s fascination with a non-existent stroke of genius. If anybody walked right into a entice, it wouldn’t have been these “excessive MAGA defenders.”
The transcript is under. Click on “develop” learn:
MS NOW’s Morning Joe
November 24, 2025
6:47:33 a.m. EST
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: I like what they did. I believe they need to do extra of placing out easy movies stating the reality.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Nicely, and so they said the reality and did nicely, however then have the ability to reply the query. And the query, David Ignatius, it appears to me the factor that we hear most individuals involved about is that the President goes to militarize American cities. And if that’s your concern, it’s a legit concern based mostly on the legislation, based mostly on the Structure. And is not that the rub right here on the finish of the day?
DAVID IGNATIUS: It’s. However Joe, there’s one issue we have not talked about, which is that when Pete Hegseth got here in as Secretary of Protection, one of many first issues he did was to wipe out the highest layer of attorneys within the navy, the choose advocates normal they’re known as, who had been presupposed to advise our commanders about what a authorized order is. And all of a sudden there weren’t any extra attorneys anymore to offer authorized recommendation. And, you already know, navy folks, they do not wish to attempt to be attorneys, that is not their job.
And the rationale that what the members of Congress, Elissa Slotkin, Jason Crow, and so forth. The rationale that was so necessary was that understanding that these commanders had been minimize off with out authorized recommendation, they had been talking on to the commanders and saying, “Do not comply with unlawful orders.” , “Seek the advice of someone who can provide you authorized recommendation.” And I believe that they actually did a service to commanders —
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.
IGNATIUS: — who simply had been feeling dizzy in these months, after the very deliberate effort to chop the —
BRZEZINSKI: Wow
IGNATIUS: — authorized advisory authority away, so commanders had been simply principally helpless.
SCARBOROUGH: And the message must be, “You can not” —
BRZEZINSKI: Proper.
SCARBOROUGH: — “you can’t comply with unlawful orders, or else you’ll put your self” —
[Crosstalk]
SCARBOROUGH: “This isn’t elective.”
IGNATIUS: “You swore an oath to guard and defend the Structure, which implies our authorized system. You sworn that oath. You do not have a alternative.” Your level is strictly proper. However you want someone to let you know what the legislation —
SCARBOROUGH: Proper
IGNATIUS: — means. Since you’re a normal. You are not a lawyer.
SCARBOROUGH: I’ve bought to say, some folks within the MAGA media sphere, Richard, have made whole idiots of themselves this weekend by attempting to take the phrase “unlawful” out —
RICHARD HAASS: Yeah.
SCARBOROUGH: — of what the Democrats have stated. They’ve made fools of themselves. Like folks — I noticed one lug head that goes on CNN frequently saying, “Oh, they clearly are attempting to take down the chain of command.” No, that is — if he knew something concerning the navy, he would know that after they elevate their proper hand and swear an oath, they swear an oath to comply with the Structure and never comply with unlawful orders.
(…)
6:51:44 a.m. EST
SCARBOROUGH: I need to be very clear, although. Whereas Elissa Slotkin, who I like very a lot, respect very a lot, respect her service to this nation very a lot, despite the fact that she fumbled the ball on that, forgive the metaphor, on that query — and it is very clear what Democrats have to speak about, cannot consider I’ve to say that. This was an excellent transfer. I can not consider I am even saying this concerning the Democratic Celebration.
BRZEZINSKI: So good.
SCARBOROUGH: This was an excellent transfer by Democrats for 2 causes. One, they’ve Republicans truly defending unlawful orders. Like, these folks within the MAGA sphere, this lunk head on CNN, they’re so silly that they are defending unlawful orders. So, bravo Democrats there.
BRZEZINKSI: Yeah.
SCARBOROUGH: Like, they performed proper into your entice.
BRZEZINKSI: Do extra.
SCARBOROUGH: And quantity two, all weekend what’d you’ve got? You had Democrats who served this nation within the navy, who served this nation within the CIA, who served this nation, all they — no group organizers right here. I like group organizers. I simply need everyone on the market to know I respect group organizers. However for the face of the Democratic Celebration they’re attempting to place on the market, they knew this was going to trigger an issue, and each single particular person there can have served this nation in uniform or within the CIA. And it was an excellent transfer. And I’ve bought to say, the Republicans — not the Republicans, essentially the most excessive MAGA defenders —
BRZEZINSKI: Proper.
SCARBOROUGH: — walked proper into their entice. I used to be shocked —
BRZEZINSKI: I do not assume they even know they’re in it.
SCARBOROUGH: I used to be shocked, they had been so silly. However they really are proper now those saying that Democrats are dangerous for saying you may’t comply with unlawful orders. It’s kinda good by the Democrats.
BRZEZINSKI: Do extra.
