Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona said on Tuesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s move to begin a process to demote and cut his retirement pay “is about stifling people’s speech.”
“This administration doesn’t like what I say. Now they’re talking about demoting me,” Kelly said on “CBS Mornings.”
Hegseth said on Monday that the Pentagon had begun a process to demote Kelly and cut his retirement pay over a video in which Kelly, a retired Navy captain, called on service members to “refuse illegal orders.” In a post on X, Hegseth said he had issued a letter of censure to Kelly, who served in the Navy until 2011. Kelly has pledged to fight the move.
“I spent 25 years in the United States Navy, I flew 39 combat missions, I flew into space four times, all in service of this country,” Kelly told CBS on Tuesday. “The president didn’t like what I said in the video and he said because of that I should be hanged, executed, prosecuted.”
Kelly was one of six Democratic lawmakers who released a video in November urging service members and members of the intelligence community to defy “illegal orders,” citing threats to the Constitution. President Trump accused him and the other Democratic lawmakers of “seditious behavior.” In a post on social media, Mr. Trump also said “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” He also reposted “HANG THEM, GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD!”
The Pentagon announced in November that it was conducting a review of misconduct allegations against Kelly to determine whether he should be recalled to active duty to face court-martial proceedings.
“Pete Hegseth is going to prosecute me under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for saying something that is in the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” Kelly said. “It’s nonsense”