{"id":3235,"date":"2025-11-24T23:04:45","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T23:04:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=3235"},"modified":"2025-11-24T23:04:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T23:04:45","slug":"pentagon-says-it-is-investigating-us-senator-over-illegal-orders-video-donald-trump-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=3235","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon says it is investigating US senator over \u2018illegal orders\u2019 video | Donald Trump News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Pentagon suggests Mark Kelly, a former US Navy captain, could be court-martialled for urging military to defy unlawful orders.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Pentagon has said it is investigating United States Senator Mark Kelly, a retired naval aviator and astronaut, for his participation in a video that urged military service members to refuse \u201cillegal orders\u201d.<\/p>\n

It is unusual for the US military to take action against a retired officer. But Monday\u2019s announcement<\/a> came after President Donald Trump repeatedly called for criminal charges against Kelly and other Democratic lawmakers involved in the video.<\/p>\n

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Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said later on Monday that Kelly is facing a probe because he is the only lawmaker in the video who falls under the jurisdiction of military law as a retired Navy captain.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs was announced, the Department is reviewing his statements and actions, which were addressed directly to all troops while explicitly using his rank and service affiliation \u2013 lending the appearance of authority to his words,\u201d Hegseth wrote on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cKelly\u2019s conduct brings discredit upon the armed forces and will be addressed appropriately.\u201d<\/p>\n

The senator was quick to respond with defiance to the Pentagon\u2019s move.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won\u2019t work,\u201d Kelly said in a statement. \u201cI\u2019ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Pentagon had suggested that Kelly is accused of \u201cactions intended to interfere with the loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces\u201d.<\/p>\n

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We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community.<\/p>\n

The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t give up the ship. pic.twitter.com\/N8lW0EpQ7r<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) November 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Last week, Trump described the legislators as traitors and went as far as arguing that they should face the death penalty for sedition: in other words, speech that is designed to incite a rebellion.<\/p>\n

Kelly, a former US Navy captain who now represents Arizona in the Senate, was one of six former military and intelligence officers featured in the video, released on November 18.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders,\u201d they said in the video.<\/p>\n

The Pentagon stressed that under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) \u2014 which spells out military laws and guidelines \u2014 service members have a legal obligation to \u201cobey lawful orders and that orders are presumed to be lawful\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cA servicemember\u2019s personal philosophy does not justify or excuse the disobedience of an otherwise lawful order,\u201d it wrote in Monday\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n

The Pentagon added that Kelly could face recall \u201cto active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures\u201d.<\/p>\n

Retired military personnel who continue to receive benefits after their service remain subject to military law, according to the UCMJ.<\/p>\n

But it is rare for military courts to prosecute former service members, especially for alleged offences committed after their tenure.<\/p>\n

In recent days, Democrats have expressed outrage over Trump\u2019s response to the lawmakers\u2019 videos, which they say amounts to a death threat.<\/p>\n

Democrats have also argued that the video simply reaffirms a fact of military law: Service members are required to refuse orders they know to be in violation of the US law, as part of their oath to the Constitution.<\/p>\n

The controversy came as the US continues to reel from political violence after the assassination of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk in September and the killing of Democratic Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman in June.<\/p>\n

Trump first invoked the death penalty on Thursday, sparking a firestorm of criticism. \u201cSEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!\u201d Trump wrote on social media.<\/p>\n

Despite the outrage, Trump doubled down on his stance late on Saturday, saying in a social media post that the legislators who released the video \u201cSHOULD BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Pentagon\u2019s move on Monday signals that federal agencies, led by Trump appointees, are willing to respond to the president\u2019s political grievances.<\/p>\n

The Department of Justice pursued criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey in now-dismissed cases that critics say were political.<\/p>\n

Comey was charged with lying to Congress, while James was facing mortgage fraud accusations.<\/p>\n

Later on Monday, the White House expressed support for the Pentagon\u2019s investigation of Kelly. \u201cYou can\u2019t have a functioning military if there is disorder and chaos within the ranks. And that\u2019s what these Democrat members were encouraging,\u201d Trump\u2019s press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n