Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has taken a stern stance against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly over his participation in a video calling on troops to defy "illegal orders." As a result, Hegseth is issuing a letter of censure to Kelly, which could potentially lead to Kelly's demotion from his retired rank as captain in the U.S. Navy.
Kelly has strongly rejected Hegseth's move, labeling it "outrageous" and "un-American." In a lengthy post on X, Kelly stated that he never expected such an attack from Trump and Hegseth, citing his 25 years of service in the Navy, as well as combat and space missions. He also emphasized that he would fight the censure with everything he has - not for himself, but to send a message back to Hegseth and Trump that they don't get to decide what Americans can say about their government.
The controversy started more than a month ago when Kelly participated in a video alongside five other Democratic lawmakers, calling on U.S. military members to defy "illegal orders." President Donald Trump later accused the lawmakers of sedition, labeling them as punishable by death.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has also weighed in, describing Hegseth's action against Kelly as "a despicable act of political retribution." He praised Kelly, stating that he is a hero and a patriot committed to serving the American people, while painting Hegseth as a lap dog committed to serving only one man - Trump.
The investigation into Kelly was sparked by his participation in the video, which was initially posted from Sen. Elissa Slotkin's X account. The Pentagon has announced that it began an investigation of Kelly late last month, citing a federal law that allows retired service members to be recalled to active duty on orders of the defense secretary for possible court-martial or other measures.
Kelly has argued that the investigation was part of an effort to silence dissent within the military. In his post Monday, Hegseth charged that Kelly's remarks in the video and afterward violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice provisions against conduct unbecoming an officer and violating good order and discipline.
The situation raises legal questions, with one issue being whether Kelly's comments fall under the constitutional protections of the speech or debate clause. The clause is intended to protect members of Congress from questioning about official legislative acts.
Kelly has 30 days to submit a response to the proceedings that will decide if he is demoted, and the decision will be made within 45 days.
Kelly has strongly rejected Hegseth's move, labeling it "outrageous" and "un-American." In a lengthy post on X, Kelly stated that he never expected such an attack from Trump and Hegseth, citing his 25 years of service in the Navy, as well as combat and space missions. He also emphasized that he would fight the censure with everything he has - not for himself, but to send a message back to Hegseth and Trump that they don't get to decide what Americans can say about their government.
The controversy started more than a month ago when Kelly participated in a video alongside five other Democratic lawmakers, calling on U.S. military members to defy "illegal orders." President Donald Trump later accused the lawmakers of sedition, labeling them as punishable by death.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has also weighed in, describing Hegseth's action against Kelly as "a despicable act of political retribution." He praised Kelly, stating that he is a hero and a patriot committed to serving the American people, while painting Hegseth as a lap dog committed to serving only one man - Trump.
The investigation into Kelly was sparked by his participation in the video, which was initially posted from Sen. Elissa Slotkin's X account. The Pentagon has announced that it began an investigation of Kelly late last month, citing a federal law that allows retired service members to be recalled to active duty on orders of the defense secretary for possible court-martial or other measures.
Kelly has argued that the investigation was part of an effort to silence dissent within the military. In his post Monday, Hegseth charged that Kelly's remarks in the video and afterward violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice provisions against conduct unbecoming an officer and violating good order and discipline.
The situation raises legal questions, with one issue being whether Kelly's comments fall under the constitutional protections of the speech or debate clause. The clause is intended to protect members of Congress from questioning about official legislative acts.
Kelly has 30 days to submit a response to the proceedings that will decide if he is demoted, and the decision will be made within 45 days.
... Pete Hegseth going after Mark Kelly like that? It's all about free speech, fam 
. I get where Kelly's coming from - as a vet with 25 years of service, he knows what it means to speak truth to power 
. Chuck Schumer is right on point, this is just politics getting messy 
. Hegseth should focus on his own beefs instead of trying to silence Kelly 
... can't we all just chill? 
I'm really worried about what's happening with Sen Kelly's situation 
. It's not just about Kelly speaking out against "illegal orders" - it's about the principle that politicians have the right to express themselves without fear of reprisal 
.
. Kelly is not just fighting for himself, but for the very idea that we have the freedom to question our government 
. We should be supporting dissent and debate, not trying to silence it 
.
. As a citizen, I want to make sure that my representatives are able to speak truth to power without fear of consequences 
. We need more transparency and accountability from our leaders, not less 
.
. It's crazy how some people will go to great lengths to silence others who dare to speak out against the powers that be. Mark Kelly has shown incredible bravery by standing up for what he believes in, even if it means facing potential consequences. The fact that Chuck Schumer is coming to his defense and painting Pete Hegseth as a lap dog for Trump just adds fuel to the fire 
. It's going to be interesting to see how this all plays out and whether Kelly's comments will ultimately be found to be protected under the speech or debate clause 
.
Schumer's right though, it does feel like hegseth is just a lap dog for trump. i'm not sure what's more concerning - kelly gets censured or if the whole situation says something about how our country values dissent and free speech... 
Can you believe this is happening? Secretary Hegseth is being super aggressive towards Senator Kelly over a video call, and now Kelly's all like "no way, I'm fighting back" 
This whole thing has me wondering if Kelly did anything wrong in the first place... was he really supposed to keep quiet about questioning orders? And what's up with the Pentagon investigating him - are they really gonna recall someone just because they spoke their mind? 
this is like total overreach by hegseth!!! mark kelly is speaking truth to power and now hegseth is trying to silence him? that's not how it works in a democracy, fam! 
the real question here is whether kelly's comments are protected under the speech or debate clause... idk about that, but one thing's for sure - hegseth is going down 
The fact that Kelly's got 30 days to respond is basically giving him an opportunity to speak out against Hegseth's actions... 
.