Sen. Mark Kelly disparages investigation, says Department of Defense hasn’t contacted him

PHOENIX – U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona said the Department of Defense has yet to contact him about its investigation into a video where he and other Democratic lawmakers told military members they should disobey illegal orders.

“The last thing I heard from DoD regarding me personally was in 2011, when I retired from the United States Navy and was given the Legion of Merit for my service to this country,” Kelly told reporters on Tuesday.

A day after the Pentagon reportedly said its probe had been escalated to “an official command investigation,” Kelly called it “a bunch of bulls–––.”

“The reason why, I think, is because this is just about sending a message to retired service members, active duty service members, government employees: ‘Do not speak out against this president or there will be consequences,'” Kelly said.

Why is Pentagon investigating Sen. Mark Kelly?

The now-controversial video message to the U.S. military and intelligence communities was posted on Nov. 18. It became headline news two days later when President Donald Trump said on social media it was “seditious behavior” and “punishable by death.”

On Nov. 24, the Pentagon announced it was reviewing “serious allegations of misconduct” against Kelly and said the former Navy pilot and astronaut could face court-martial proceedings.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that Kelly, and not the other five Democrats in the video, is under investigation because he, as a retired Navy commander, is currently subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice while the others aren’t.

Sen. Mark Kelly: ‘I’m not going to be lectured by this guy’

Speaking to reporters Tuesday after Hegseth briefed senators about military strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea, Kelly said the defense secretary made a point to mention the investigation.

“He kind of walked in there with a little speech he wanted to give,” Kelly said, adding that he wouldn’t have wasted senators’ time bringing up the matter, but Hegseth “didn’t have a problem doing it.”

In a video posted to his personal X account later Tuesday, Kelly accused Hegseth of trying to lecture him during the briefing. The senator said he responded by reminding Hegseth that he talked about why the military won’t follow illegal orders at an event during Trump’s first term in 2016.

“Of course I’m not going to be lectured by this guy, the most unqualified secretary of defense in our country’s history. So, I reminded him that he said the same thing that I said in 2016. He also said it specifically about this president,” Kelly said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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