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The Department of Defense (DOD) is looking to punish Arizona Senator Mark Kelly by reducing his rank and retirement pay. The downgrade is in response to a 90-second video in which Kelly reminded military personnel that they have the right to disobey unlawful orders.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the agency is taking administrative action against Kelly in response to his “seditious statements—and his pattern of reckless misconduct.” The DOD initiated proceedings for a reduction in Kelly’s retired grade and a corresponding reduction in retired pay.
Unwarranted rivalry
Kelly, the former NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy pilot, took part in the video, along with five other Democratic senators, to encourage members of the U.S. military to refuse to follow illegal orders. In response, President Donald Trump referred to the video as “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”
“THE TRAITORS THAT TOLD THE MILITARY TO DISOBEY MY ORDERS SHOULD BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW, NOT ROAMING THE FAKE NEWS NETWORKS TRYING TO EXPLAIN THAT WHAT THEY SAID WAS OK,” Trump continued on Truth Social.
Shortly after, the DOD issued a statement confirming that the Pentagon is investigating whether Kelly violated military law and that he could in fact face legal repercussions. “As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of War—and the American people—expect justice,” Hegseth wrote on X.
Department of petty
The defense secretary had originally threatened to recall Kelly from military retirement and court-martial him. Instead, the DOD is settling for going after Kelly’s pension. “This Censure is a necessary process step, and will be placed in Captain Kelly’s official and permanent military personnel file,” Hegseth continued.
In response, Kelly did not hold back. “My rank and retirement are things that I earned through my service and sacrifice for this country,” the senator wrote on X. “I got shot at. I missed holidays and birthdays. I commanded a space shuttle mission while my wife Gabby recovered from a gunshot wound to the head—all while proudly wearing the American flag on my shoulder.”
“Pete Hegseth wants to send the message to every single retired service member that if they say something he or Donald Trump doesn’t like, they will come after them the same way. It’s outrageous and it is wrong,” he added.
Kelly has 30 days to respond to the action taken against him, which is set to go into effect in 45 days, according to Hegseth. “I will fight this with everything I’ve got—not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump don’t get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government,” Kelly wrote.
English (US) ·