During Monday’s Morning Joe, co-host Joe Scarborough applauded "brilliant" Democrats for somehow deceiving Republicans into defending illegal orders given to the military. This came the week after several Democrats cast doubt onto President Trump’s leadership and his subsequent backlash.
Co-host Mika Brzezinski praised the Democrat’s video and called for even more: “I like what they did. I think they should do more of putting out simple videos stating the truth.”
Scarborough and Washington Post columnist David Ignatius then role-played as those Democrats in order to lecture military commanders about refusing to obey illegal orders: “You swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, which means our legal system. You sworn that oath. You don't have a choice.”
Textbook moral grandstanding. Military commanders are definitely incapable of determining blatantly illegal orders for themselves without Congressional Democrats hovering and casting doubt. Thanks, guys.
Scarborough then, without naming who, called out a specific individual for supposedly saying Democrats want to interfere with Trump’s authority:
They've made fools of themselves. Like people — I saw one lug head that goes on CNN regularly saying, “Oh, they clearly are trying to take down the chain of command.” No, this is — if he knew anything about the military, he would know that when they raise their right hand and swear an oath, they swear an oath to follow the Constitution and not follow illegal orders.
It wasn’t immediately clear who exactly Scarborough was referring to. The closest match found was made by Shermichael Singleton, a CNN political commentator and Republican strategist, who said this on CNN Newsroom on Sunday:
… with all due respect to those lawmakers, and we certainly thank them for their service to our country, they have done the very thing that they’ve accused Donald Trump of doing many times, and that is to politicize, in this instance, the chain of command. If they want to weaken Trump politically, there are a slew of issues that I think Democrats could talk about.
Singleton was calling out Democrats for their hypocrisy. If that was the moment Scarborough was referring to, that would be a pretty poor representation of what he said.
Scarborough then lauded the Democrats for somehow tricking Republicans into defending illegal orders:
SCARBOROUGH: This was a brilliant move. I cannot believe I'm even saying this about the Democratic Party.
BRZEZINSKI: So good.
SCARBOROUGH: This was a brilliant move by Democrats for two reasons. One, they have Republicans actually defending illegal orders. Like, these people in the MAGA sphere, this lunk head on CNN, they're so stupid that they're defending illegal orders. So, bravo Democrats there.
The most obvious mistake is that Republicans haven’t defended illegal orders… because there were no illegal orders to defend. Throughout the program earlier, the Morning Joe crew mentioned sending troops into the streets as illegal. So far, Trump’s National Guard deployments have been in accordance with law and court rulings.
Scarborough continued to praise Democrats for their “brilliance” and Brzezinski, again, called for more:
SCARBOROUGH: And it was a brilliant move. And I've got to say, the Republicans — not the Republicans, the most extreme MAGA defenders […] walked right into their trap. […] I was shocked, they were so stupid. But they actually are right now the ones saying that Democrats are bad for saying you can’t follow illegal orders. It’s kinda brilliant by the Democrats.
BRZEZINSKI: Do more.
What’s even more brilliant was Scarborough’s fascination with a non-existent stroke of genius. If anyone walked into a trap, it wouldn’t have been those “extreme MAGA defenders.”
The transcript is below. Click "expand" read:
MS NOW’s Morning Joe
November 24, 2025
6:47:33 a.m. EST
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: I like what they did. I think they should do more of putting out simple videos stating the truth.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Well, and they stated the truth and did well, but then be able to answer the question. And the question, David Ignatius, it seems to me the thing that we hear most people concerned about is that the President is going to militarize American cities. And if that is your concern, it is a legitimate concern based on the law, based on the Constitution. And isn't that the rub here at the end of the day?
DAVID IGNATIUS: It is. But Joe, there's one factor we haven't talked about, which is that when Pete Hegseth came in as Secretary of Defense, one of the first things he did was to wipe out the top layer of lawyers in the military, the judge advocates general they're called, who were supposed to advise our commanders about what a legal order is. And suddenly there weren't any more lawyers anymore to give legal advice. And, you know, military people, they don't like to try to be lawyers, that's not their job.
And the reason that what the members of Congress, Elissa Slotkin, Jason Crow, etc. The reason that was so important was that knowing that these commanders were cut off without legal advice, they were speaking directly to the commanders and saying, “Don't follow illegal orders.” You know, “Consult somebody who can give you legal advice.” And I think that they really did a service to commanders —
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah.
IGNATIUS: — who just had been feeling dizzy in these months, after the very deliberate effort to cut the —
BRZEZINSKI: Wow
IGNATIUS: — legal advisory authority away, so commanders were just basically helpless.
SCARBOROUGH: And the message has to be, “You cannot” —
BRZEZINSKI: Right.
SCARBOROUGH: — “you cannot follow illegal orders, or else you will put yourself” —
[Crosstalk]
SCARBOROUGH: “This is not optional.”
IGNATIUS: “You swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, which means our legal system. You sworn that oath. You don't have a choice.” Your point is exactly right. But you need somebody to tell you what the law —
SCARBOROUGH: Right
IGNATIUS: — means. Because you're a general. You're not a lawyer.
SCARBOROUGH: I've got to say, some people in the MAGA media sphere, Richard, have made total idiots of themselves this weekend by trying to take the word “illegal” out —
RICHARD HAASS: Yeah.
SCARBOROUGH: — of what the Democrats have said. They've made fools of themselves. Like people — I saw one lug head that goes on CNN regularly saying, “Oh, they clearly are trying to take down the chain of command.” No, this is — if he knew anything about the military, he would know that when they raise their right hand and swear an oath, they swear an oath to follow the Constitution and not follow illegal orders.
(…)
6:51:44 a.m. EST
SCARBOROUGH: I want to be very clear, though. While Elissa Slotkin, who I like very much, respect very much, respect her service to this country very much, even though she fumbled the ball on that, forgive the metaphor, on that question — and it's very clear what Democrats have to talk about, can't believe I have to say that. This was a brilliant move. I cannot believe I'm even saying this about the Democratic Party.
BRZEZINSKI: So good.
SCARBOROUGH: This was a brilliant move by Democrats for two reasons. One, they have Republicans actually defending illegal orders. Like, these people in the MAGA sphere, this lunk head on CNN, they're so stupid that they're defending illegal orders. So, bravo Democrats there.
BRZEZINKSI: Yeah.
SCARBOROUGH: Like, they played right into your trap.
BRZEZINKSI: Do more.
SCARBOROUGH: And number two, all weekend what’d you have? You had Democrats who served this country in the military, who served this country in the CIA, who served this country, all they — no community organizers here. I love community organizers. I just want everybody out there to know I respect community organizers. But for the face of the Democratic Party they're trying to put out there, they knew this was going to cause a controversy, and every single person there will have served this country in uniform or in the CIA. And it was a brilliant move. And I've got to say, the Republicans — not the Republicans, the most extreme MAGA defenders —
BRZEZINSKI: Right.
SCARBOROUGH: — walked right into their trap. I was shocked —
BRZEZINSKI: I don't think they even know they're in it.
SCARBOROUGH: I was shocked, they were so stupid. But they actually are right now the ones saying that Democrats are bad for saying you can’t follow illegal orders. It’s kinda brilliant by the Democrats.
BRZEZINSKI: Do more.
