‘You, Sir, Are A Coward!’ Senate Democrat Dresses Down Pete Hegseth on CNN for Court-Martial Threat Against Mark Kelly

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) had some choice words for Pete Hegseth Monday after the Defense Department announced an investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ).

Kelly ran afoul of Hegseth by way of President Donald Trump, who suggested a court-martial for Kelly’s participation in a video telling service members it was their duty to disobey “illegal orders.”

Trump repeatedly expressed his outrage over the video, which he argued was “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!”

Hegseth released a statement Monday saying he received “serious allegations of misconduct” against Kelly, who retired from the U.S. Navy as an officer, and that he was considering whether to recall Kelly “to active duty for court-martial.”

Gallego told CNN’s Kasie Hunt that his message to Hegseth was simple:

“You will never, ever, ever even be half the man that Sen. Kelly is,” Gallego said directly into the camera. “You, sir, are a coward! And the fact that you are following this order from the president shows how big of a coward you are. And I can’t wait till you no longer are the Secretary of Defense.”

Gallego, a marine combat veteran, also offered advice for active-duty military to “just continue doing your job. Let the politicians fight this out.”

“You know what you need to be doing,” he continued.

You know what is right, what is wrong. And should the moment meet where you find yourself being given an illegal order, then follow your gut, follow your instinct, and do what you’re supposed to do to uphold the Constitution of the United States.

For us, we’re not going to be intimidated. This is just an act by a very desperate, cowardly man who’s trying to distract from everything that’s going wrong in his life, and he’s trying to attack a patriot that has served his country honorably and still does.

Watch the clip above via CNN.