Sen. Mark Kelly says Trump and Hegseth can’t silence him

By Chris Woodward
The Center Square

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, spent the weekend saying he will not be silenced by the Trump administration.

During televised segments Sunday on CNN and NBC, Kelly dismissed criticisms and actions by President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

“I’m not going to be bullied,” Kelly said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “Especially by Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth.”

At issue is a recent video featuring Kelly and five other lawmakers, all of whom are Democrats and are advising military service members to “refuse illegal orders.” Five of the six lawmakers are former military service members. The sixth is U.S. Sen. Elise Slotkin, D-Michigan, who was a CIA analyst.

Since the video was posted on social media, Hegseth and Trump have criticized the lawmakers. Trump went so far as to say on Truth Social that “each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL.” In another post, Trump called the video “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Hegseth, in a post on X, said Kelly, as a retired Navy combat pilot, could face repercussions and reposted a Department of War statement saying Kelly could be recalled for active duty to face a possible court-martial or administrative measure.

Besides Kelly and Slotkin, the video features U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio, D-Pennsylvania; Maggie Goodlander, D-New Hampshire; Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pennsylvania, and Jason Crow, D-Colorado.

Hegseth was not pleased and said as much in a post on X.

“Five of the six individuals in that video do not fall under jurisdiction (one is CIA and four are former military but not retired, so they are no longer subject to UCMJ),” said Hegseth, referring to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. “However, Mark Kelly (retired Navy Commander) is still subject to UCMJ — and he knows that.”

In the video, Kelly, who retired with the rank of captain, said he wanted to “speak directly to members of the military.” He accused the Trump administration of “pitting” uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens.

“Like us, you swore an oath,” the former astronaut said. “Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders.”

Kelly said in the video that he understands “it is a difficult time to be a public servant,” but added that their vigilance is critical.

During the Sunday television programs, Kelly said on CNN that their message in the video was “simple and non-controversial.” As for the remarks from Trump and Hegseth, Kelly called them ridiculous.

“This is an attempt to silence me, to get me to not hold this administration accountable,” Kelly told Dana Bash, host of CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Kelly then doubled down, adding that “we have a president who does not understand the Constitution.” He also called Hegseth “unqualified” for his position.

“I cannot think of a secretary of defense in the history of our country that is less qualified than Pete Hegseth,” Kelly said on “State of the Union.” “He should not be in this position. He should have been fired after Signalgate.”

“Signalgate” refers to a March 2025 security breach wherein a reporter was mistakenly included in a group chat that involved national security officials discussing sensitive information about military plans.

Kelly made similar comments to Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“I’ll follow the law, but I’m not going to be intimidated,” said Kelly.

The Center Square reached out to Kelly’s office Monday, but did not hear back from the senator or his staff.

Trump and Hegseth are not the only ones upset over the video. As reported by The Center Square, more than a dozen current and former legislators from Arizona, all of whom are Republicans, complained about the video in a November letter to Kelly.

“The decision to use military service members as political props in a video implying that the Commander-in-Chief may issue illegal orders crosses a line that should have never been approached,” wrote the legislators. “Your participation in this effort has understandably alarmed veterans, military families, and elected leaders who value the integrity and stability of our armed forces.”

While the legislators acknowledge that “service members are duty-bound to refuse a truly unlawful order,” something they say service members know from their first day of training, the lawmakers point out that this does not require a “partisan campaign video,” or “fearmongering,” or “political operatives implying that the Commander-in-Chief is poised to commit crimes.”

The legislators added that by leaving “unlawful orders” vague and unrefined, the video aims to plant suspicion before such an order is given.

“The unmistakable implication is that President Donald J. Trump is preparing to issue illegal commands,” wrote the legislators. “That insinuation is false. Worse, it encourages doubt in the chain of command itself – a foundational threat to military discipline and national readiness.”

Arizona state Sen. Kevin Payne is one of the signers.

“I’m a veteran, and I didn’t appreciate it,” Payne, who served in the Navy, told The Center Square in November. “I think that was uncalled for.”

Payne said he was enraged when he saw the video. “He’s trying to get military service members to disobey and not follow orders.”

Arizona state Rep. Nick Kupper also signed the letter. Kupper stood by his actions in November and did not back down when contacted Monday by The Center Square.

Kupper, a retired Air Force master sergeant, said he called Kelly’s office on Jan. 19, 2022 when he was on active duty and expressed concerns that his commander was unlawfully ordering him to take an Emergency Use Authorization COVID shot, rather than the fully approved one Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered service members to take. Kupper said he was told to simply take the EUA COVID shot.

“In my lawsuit, Coker v. Austin, the DoD admitted that they did not order any fully approved COVID shots until May 2022 and did not have them on hand until June 2022,” Kupper told The Center Square.

As a result, Kupper said, he has “no faith that Sen. Kelly seriously believes, or can prove, any unlawful orders have been issued by President Trump or SECWAR Hegseth.”

Kupper said he viewed Kelly’s remarks as grandstanding. “I truly believe this is just political theater at which so many of my colleagues excel.”