‘Nothing More Un-American’: Mark Kelly Accuses Pete Hegseth of Trying to Intimidate Critics in the Military

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) hit back at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday after Hegseth moved to strip the retired Navy captian and former astronaut of his rank and reduce his military pension. Hegseth opened an investigation into Kelly late last year over a video the Arizona senator put out with other Democratic Party lawmakers urging U.S. military members not to follow any potentially illegal orders coming out of the Trump administration.

“Over twenty-five years in the U.S. Navy, thirty-nine combat missions, and four missions to space, I risked my life for this country and to defend our Constitution — including the First Amendment rights of every American to speak out. I never expected that the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense would attack me for doing exactly that,” replied Kelly in a statement, adding:

My rank and retirement are things that I earned through my service and sacrifice for this country. 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. Generations of servicemembers have made these same patriotic sacrifices for this country, earning the respect, appreciation, and rank they deserve.

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. There is nothing more un-American than that.

If Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in our country’s history, thinks he can intimidate me with a censure or threats to demote me or prosecute me, he still doesn’t get it. 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.

Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend morning show host, put out a statement earlier on Monday saying, “Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly — and five other members of Congress — released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline. 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 added, “Therefore, in response to Senator Mark Kelly’s seditious statements — and his pattern of reckless misconduct — the Department of War is taking administrative action against Captain Mark E. Kelly, USN (Ret). The department has initiated retirement grade determination proceedings under 10 U.S.C. § 1370(f), with reduction in his retired grade resulting in a corresponding reduction in retired pay.”

CNN recently reported that Hegseth himself had made comments similar to Kelly, urging military members not follow any illegal orders, according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Hegseth made the remarks in 2016 about former President Barack Obama’s time in office.