Ruben Gallego slams Pentagon for Mark Kelly probe after he pushed for not obeying illegal orders

PHOENIX — U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona was disgusted to hear that the Pentagon is investigating his colleague for urging military members to not follow illegal orders.

“These are the things that we should be very mad about, we should be very scared about,” Gallego told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce & Gaydos on Monday. “We should not allow a president to do this type of weaponization.”

He spoke in support of fellow Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, a former Navy pilot who is the target of a federal probe.

Ruben Gallego condemns Pentagon for investigating Mark Kelly

The Department of War said Monday on X that it is reviewing “serious allegations of misconduct” against Kelly. Officials cited a federal statute barring interference with military loyalty, morale, or discipline, noting that Kelly could face court-martial proceedings.

“This is bad, right?” Gallego said. “Like, this president is going after a sitting elected official — doesn’t matter if a Democrat or Republican — using his service as a weapon to try to silence him.”

The probe stems from a video released last week by Kelly and five other Democrats, urging military and intelligence personnel to not obey illegal orders from their superiors.

In response, President Donald Trump denounced the video as “seditious behavior, punishable by death.” Over the weekend, Kelly said he and the others involved have faced increased threats following Trump’s remarks.

That’s unacceptable to Ruben Gallego, a former U.S. Marine.

“The most important thing to understand is that anyone that serves in the military, you take an oath, right? You take an oath to the Constitution of the United States,” Gallego said. “The fact that these Democrats are and veterans are restating what is already known for somehow is threatening to this president tells you a lot about what he how he thinks about the military.”

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