{"id":3318,"date":"2025-11-25T15:47:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T15:47:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=3318"},"modified":"2025-11-25T15:47:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T15:47:02","slug":"who-is-mark-kelly-and-why-is-the-us-senator-accused-of-sedition-donald-trump-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=3318","title":{"rendered":"Who is Mark Kelly, and why is the US senator accused of \u2018sedition\u2019? | Donald Trump News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The United States Department of Defense has launched an investigation into Senator Mark Kelly over a video in which he and other Democrats urged soldiers to defy \u201cillegal orders\u201d.<\/p>\n

The video was released last week. It features six Democratic lawmakers who previously held positions in the military and intelligence services: Kelly, Representatives Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Representative Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, Representative Jason Crow of Colorado and Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.<\/p>\n

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Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n

list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n

Slotkin wrote on X in a post accompanying the video that they wanted to \u201cspeak directly to members of the military and the intelligence community\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution. Don\u2019t give up the ship,\u201d Slotkin wrote.<\/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

In the video, the lawmakers said the trust that citizens have in the US military and intelligence agencies was \u201cat risk\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens,\u201d the lawmakers said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this constitution. Right now, the threats to our constitution aren\u2019t just coming from abroad but right here at home,\u201d the video added.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to the video, the Pentagon has announced an investigation into alleged breaches of military law by Kelly, a former navy captain, which is an unusual step against retired military personnel.<\/p>\n

According to the US Manual for Courts-Martial<\/a>, which outlines conduct in the military: \u201cAn order requiring the performance of a military duty or act may be inferred to be lawful and it is disobeyed at the peril of the subordinate.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, that inference does not apply if an order is contrary to the constitution or US law, is given by an officer without the authority to issue it or is \u201cpatently illegal\u201d, such as ordering the commission of a crime.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s everything we know:<\/p>\n

\"(FILES)
Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and her husband, US Senator Mark Kelly [File: AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Who is Mark Kelly?<\/h2>\n

The Arizona senator is a former senior navy officer and pilot who flew combat missions in the first Gulf War.<\/p>\n

In 2001, Kelly became an astronaut and flew four space shuttle missions over a decade, two of which were as commander.<\/p>\n

In 2011, Kelly retired as a captain, a rank just below rear admiral.<\/p>\n

In his first Senate campaign in 2020, Kelly finished the term of Republican Senator John McCain, who died in office. Two years later, Kelly was re-elected to a full term. In the Senate, he has focused on national security and the military.<\/p>\n

Is Kelly right about \u2018illegal orders\u2019?<\/h2>\n

According to Bruce Fein, a lawyer specialising in constitutional and international law and who served as Associate Deputy Attorney General at the Department of Justice under former President Ronald Reagan, Kelly was \u201csimply echoing the law\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201c[For example] a member of the United States Armed Forces is required to disobey a clearly illegal order of a superior. There is no \u2018following orders\u2019 defence,\u201d Fein told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

\u201cLt William Calley was convicted of war crimes for the [1968] My Lai Massacre against civilians in Vietnam. His \u2018following orders\u2019 defence was rejected,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

What is the Pentagon investigation about, then?<\/h2>\n

In a statement posted on X on Monday, the Pentagon said it had received \u201cserious allegations of misconduct\u201d against Kelly, suggesting that the video had interfered with the \u201cloyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cA thorough review of these allegations has been initiated to determine further actions, which may include recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures. This matter will be handled in compliance with military law, ensuring due process and impartiality,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll service members are reminded that they have a legal obligation under the UCMJ [Uniform Code of Military Justice] to obey lawful orders and that orders are presumed to be lawful. A service member\u2019s personal philosophy does not justify or excuse the disobedience of an otherwise lawful order,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n

On the same day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X that the \u201cseditious six\u201d lawmakers in the video were \u201cdespicable, reckless, and false\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cEncouraging our warriors to ignore the orders of their Commanders undermines every aspect of \u2018good order and discipline.\u2019 Their foolish screed sows doubt and confusion \u2013 which only puts our warriors in danger,\u201d Hegseth said, adding that only Kelly falls under the Department of Defense\u2019s jurisdiction.<\/p>\n

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

While all six lawmakers served in the military or intelligence agencies, Kelly is the only person to have formally retired from the military, meaning he can still be recalled for active duty or face a court martial for misconduct.<\/p>\n

What has Kelly said about the action against him?<\/h2>\n

In a post on X on Monday, Kelly wrote that he had \u201csworn an oath to the Constitution in 1986\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve upheld it through 25 years of service and every day since I retired. If [President Donald] Trump\u2019s trying to intimidate me, it won\u2019t work. I\u2019ve given too much to our country to be silenced by bullies who care more about power than the Constitution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In a post last week, Kelly wrote he \u201chad a missile blow up next to my airplane, been shot at dozens of times by anti-aircraft fire, and launched into orbit \u2013 all for my country\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never thought I\u2019d see a President call for my execution. Trump doesn\u2019t understand the Constitution, and we\u2019re all less safe for it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

What has Trump said?<\/h2>\n

In a post on his Truth Social platform last week, the president wrote that the video was \u201creally bad, and Dangerous to our Country\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cSEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!!\u201d he said. In a separate post, Trump added that it was \u201cSEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH\u201d.<\/p>\n

But a day after his comments, Trump told Fox News that he wasn\u2019t threatening death but the Democrats were in \u201cserious trouble\u201d.<\/p>\n

When asked how far the Trump administration could realistically take its action against Kelly, Fein said it could \u201charass Kelly with a spurious investigation or charges\u201d.<\/p>\n

Why is the Trump administration focusing on this?<\/h2>\n

The fury over the video comes at a time when the US military is conducting strikes on vessels that the Trump administration has alleged are carrying drugs.<\/p>\n

The strikes have killed at least 83 people in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.<\/p>\n

At the end of October, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to hand over all legal opinions on the legality of the military\u2019s strikes.<\/p>\n

\u201cSummarily killing criminal suspects is prohibited under domestic and international law in both peacetime and wartime,\u201d they wrote in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi that the Reuters news agency saw.<\/p>\n

But two weeks ago, a memo from the DOJ stated that service members could not be prosecuted for the killings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe strikes were ordered consistent with the laws of armed conflict, and as such are lawful orders. Military personnel are legally obligated to follow lawful orders and, as such, are not subject to prosecution for following lawful orders,\u201d The Hill, a US political website, reported, citing a statement from a DOJ spokesperson.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n