Republican Senators Defend Mark Kelly as Pentagon Steps Up Threats
WASHINGTON – Two Republican senators spoke out in defense of their Democratic colleague, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, as the Trump administration seeks to punish him in response to a video he recorded last week, pointing out that the military can defy illegal orders.
“Senator Kelly bravely served our country as an aviator in the U.S. Navy before completing four space shuttle missions as a NASA astronaut,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) wrote in a social media post Tuesday. “Accusing him and other lawmakers of treason and sedition for rightly pointing out that the military can reject illegal orders is reckless and flatly incorrect.”
The moderate Republican senator added: “The Department of Defense and the FBI surely have higher priorities than this frivolous investigation.”
Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah), a conservative who replaced Mitt Romney in the Senate, wrote: “I respect Mark Kelly and value his friendship.”
He added: “I know him as someone whose career has been defined by service. His record as a naval combat aviator and NASA astronaut reflects his example of the discipline and dedication that are important for success.”
The Defense Department said earlier this week that it is reviewing “serious allegations of misconduct” against the Arizona senator, who is a decorated U.S. Navy veteran, and suggested he could face a court-martial. On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked the Navy secretary to review Kelly’s comments in the video for “potentially illegal conduct.”
via News
Kelly has faced a barrage of attacks from President Donald Trump, who said he and the five other Democratic lawmakers who participated in the video message to service members were guilty of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH.” The president then shared a post online calling for them to be hanged.
The FBI also got involved by trying to interview Kelly and other Democratic lawmakers with its own investigation, another highly unusual move in this saga.
It is unclear whether any of these efforts will be successful, as lawmakers are protected by the Speech and Debate Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which protects members of Congress from being questioned or arrested for their official legislative actions.
Appearing Tuesday on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Kelly called Hegseth “totally unqualified” for the job of defense secretary.
“And from what I can tell from talking to some of my Republican colleagues, I mean, he just wants to please the president,” Kelly said of Hegseth, who was narrowly confirmed by the Senate after allegations of alcohol abuse and misconduct.
“I’m not backing down,” Kelly told the late-night host. “We said something very simple: members of the military must respect the law. We wanted to say that we support them. Their response? Kill them.”
Kelly was first elected to the Senate in 2020, winning a special election to fill the remainder of the term of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). He was considered a possible running mate for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election and is widely viewed as a possible 2028 Democratic presidential contender.
Trump’s threats have only served to elevate Kelly within the Democratic Party. Since then, he appeared on News’ “Face the Nation” over the weekend, as well as several cable news shows that are popular with liberal viewers, including ABC’s Kimmel and MSNOW’s Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes and Joe Scarborough.
Despite his promises to end the “militarization” of law enforcement during the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump has ordered the Justice Department to go after many of his perceived enemies. In recent months, the Justice Department has brought criminal charges against three prominent critics of the president, although a judge this week dismissed two of those cases.