In an look on “Jimmy Kimmel Dwell,” Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz. blasted Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth, calling him unqualified and saying he simply needs to please President Donald Trump.
The feedback got here after Hegseth requested the Navy secretary to overview Kelly’s feedback in a video to troops for “probably illegal conduct,” based on a memo posted on social media by the Pentagon.
The Arizona senator was one in all six Democrats featured in a video final week addressed to navy members.
“The threats to our Structure aren’t simply coming from aboard, however from proper right here proper at dwelling. Our legal guidelines are clear. You possibly can refuse unlawful orders,” the group stated. “Nobody has to hold out orders that violate the legislation or our Structure.”
The Division of Protection on Monday stated it’s launching a “thorough overview” into Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, citing “severe allegations of misconduct.”
In the meantime, Kelly informed Kimmel that the president and his administration’s response sows concern, calling it an instance of “how democracies die.”
“It’s proper out of the playbook, you already know, the playbook of authoritarianism. That is what they do. They attempt to suppress speech,” Kelly stated. “Each one in all us has First Modification speech rights, and I believe the president is infringing on these and he’s sending, he’s sending a reasonably robust message. You do not need to cross him, and your loyalty must be to him. It shouldn’t. It ought to at all times be to the Structure.”
Kelly stated that Hegseth is “completely unqualified” for the job and that “he simply needs to please the president.”
“He can go after me below the Uniform Code of Army Justice, which is legislation within the navy, which is form of wild, as a result of we recited one thing within the Uniform Code of Army Justice, and he’ll prosecute me below the Uniform Code of Army Justice,” Kelly stated. “It’s so ridiculous, it is virtually like you’ll be able to’t make this s— up.”
Kelly additionally informed Kimmel how he came upon that Trump first reacted to the video with the publish, detailing that he was with Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., when a staffer interrupted their briefing and slid her a bit of paper.
“So any person is available in in the midst of our transient, slips her piece of paper and I check out the piece of paper, and it says ‘the president is asking on your execution’– to her, to Elissa, so she, she appears to be like at me, she will get up, she walks out,” Kelly stated. “About 5 minutes later, she comes again in, appears to be like at me and says, ‘Effectively, he is calling on your execution too.’ So I wasn’t off the hook.”
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) holds a city corridor to debate the influence of proposed Republican cuts to Medicaid and meals help advantages at Chiricahua Neighborhood Well being Heart in Sierra Vista, Arizona, U.S., Could 29, 2025.
Rebecca Noble/Reuters
Hegseth bashed the Arizona senator earlier this week, accusing him of incorrectly sporting his navy medals and calling the video addressed to troops that Kelly and different Democratic lawmakers had been in a “politically-motivated affect operation.”
“So ‘Captain’ Kelly, not solely did your sedition video deliberately undercut good order & self-discipline…however you’ll be able to’t even show your uniform correctly,” Hegseth stated in a publish shared on X on Tuesday.
Hegseth’s publish was in response to Kelly’s assertion on Monday concerning the Pentagon’s alleged overview, which included a photograph of his navy medals.
“Your medals are out of order & rows reversed. When/in case you are recalled to energetic obligation, it’s going to begin with a uniform inspection,” Hegseth added.
“The navy already has clear procedures for dealing with illegal orders. It doesn’t want political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command,” Hegseth stated on Tuesday.
All navy officers who’ve retired after 20 years of service are in a position to be recalled to energetic obligation, and if they’re decided to have engaged in misconduct, they’re topic to navy prosecution — probably a court-martial.
Kelly served for 25 years within the Navy and at NASA, retiring in 2011.
The code referenced by the Protection Division may topic Kelly to an “administrative measure,” which may embrace a discount in rank — and a discount in his pension entitlement.
“That’s not how our democracy works, and we can not go down that slippery slope,” stated Kelly.
