Senator Kelly’s Statement
Senator Mark Kelly expressed on Monday that he has not received any official communication from the Defense Department about being recalled to active duty for potential court-martial proceedings.
The Arizona Democrat, who retired as a captain in October 2021 after a distinguished 25-year career in the Navy and NASA astronaut corps, stated that aside from a social media post by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, there has been no further correspondence regarding this matter.
“I was informed of a possible court-martial through a tweet by the secretary of Defense,” he remarked. “That’s the only notification we have received so far. This reflects poorly on Pete Hegseth and his priorities; it seems he is more concerned with social media engagement than legal processes or accountability.”
Kelly, a former Navy pilot, was among six Democratic lawmakers who recently released a video urging U.S. troops to disregard any “illegal” orders from President Trump.
In response, Hegseth labeled these lawmakers as the “seditious six,” asserting that Kelly remains under Pentagon jurisdiction and is subject to military law.
The Pentagon indicated it is reviewing Kelly’s statements and actions directed at troops while using his military rank, suggesting they could undermine military authority. They referenced 18 U.S. Code Section 2387, which criminalizes actions promoting insubordination within the armed forces.
Kelly mentioned that other lawmakers involved in the video have also had limited communication with the FBI, aside from being notified of requests for interviews. He speculated that the investigation may have been instigated by presidential orders rather than an independent FBI initiative.
Kelly defended the legality of their video message as a necessary reminder to troops about their obligations under military law concerning illegal orders.
“We aimed to show our support for them and acknowledge their challenging circumstances,” he explained.
Kelly clarified that their video did not target any specific illegal order or recent military actions but instead addressed broader concerns regarding potential directives from Trump and Hegseth.
“We were trying to prevent something potentially disastrous,” he added.
The former president reacted strongly on social media, labeling their actions as “seditious behavior” deserving severe punishment. He even suggested extreme measures against those involved in making the video.
