Secretary of War Pete Hegseth may rue the day he decided to pick a fight with Senator Mark Kelly. Kelly is a retired US Navy captain, a former combat pilot, a former astronaut, and decorated veteran.
Kelly is also one of six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a controversial video reminding military members that they swore an oath to defend the Constitution and that they can “refuse illegal orders”.
Hegseth’s Department of War has now struck back, saying that as a retired veteran, they have the right to recall the 61-year-old Senator “to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures”, and that:
OFFICIAL STATEMENT:
— Department of War
The Department of War has received serious allegations of misconduct against Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.). In accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 688, and other applicable regulations, a thorough review of these allegations…(@DeptofWar) November 24, 2025
“All servicemembers are reminded that they have a legal obligation under the UCMJ to obey lawful orders and that orders are presumed to be lawful.”
Trump also weighed in, accusing Kelly and other the Democratic lawmakers of “seditious behavior, punishable by death“(!). So, with Trump apparently lining up a firing squad and Hegseth determined to administer full military justice, how is Kelly responding?
Kelly strikes back
Donald Trump can try to intimidate me, but it’s not going to work. My job is to defend the Constitution and hold any president accountable. pic.twitter.com/FzfW8qQz5f
— Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) November 25, 2025
“I’ve had a missile blow up next to my airplane. I’ve been shot down, nearly shot down, multiple times. I’ve flown a rocket ship into space four times, built by the lowest bidder. My wife Gabby Giffords meeting with her constituents, shot in the head. Six people killed around her. A horrific thing. She spent six months in the hospital.”
He continued, rounding on Trump:
“I’m not going to be silenced here. Is it stressful? I’ve been stressed by things more important than Donald Trump trying to intimidate me into shutting my mouth and not doing my job. He didn’t like what I said. I’m going to show up for work every day, support the Constitution.”
Kelly said his duty is to “hold this president accountable” for being “out of line” and said the administration’s threats won’t silence him and his colleagues.
If Trump and Hegseth had a molecule of sense between them, they might pause and wonder whether targeting a decorated former astronaut who’s putting his career on the line to defend the Constitution is really such a smart move.
Both men are clearly itching to make an example of Kelly as a warning to anyone else who dares step out of line, but it’s obvious that they’re about to turn him into a symbol of moral resistance, if not an outright martyr.
