Mark Kelly: Hegseth Told Me About a Court‑Martial via X Post — “Ridiculous”

Sen. Mark Kelly says he learned about a possible court‑martial from an X post by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and criticized that method as “ridiculous.” Kelly and several other Democrats appeared in a video urging troops to refuse illegal orders; President Trump has publicly condemned the video and suggested legal punishment. The lawmakers have not cited specific illegal orders, and Kelly also criticized Hegseth’s handling of reporting on a disputed military strike, calling it a sign of high‑level incompetence.

01:29 PM, 12/02/2025Politics

Mark Kelly: Hegseth Told Me About a Court‑Martial via X Post — “Ridiculous”

Sen. Mark Kelly (D‑Ariz.) told CNN that he first learned he might face a court‑martial not through formal military channels but from an X post by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Kelly sharply criticized Hegseth’s approach and questioned his leadership of the armed forces during the interview.

Tapper asked whether the FBI or military investigators had contacted Kelly after a video circulated in which he and several other Democrats urged service members to “refuse illegal orders.” Kelly said he had not been contacted and that his first notice came via social media.

“The court‑martial, Hegseth notified me in a tweet. I mean, how ridiculous is this? That this guy, I mean, it’s not a normal process, [it] doesn’t make any sense. He tweeted something — that’s how I got notified. That’s all I’ve heard from the Navy,” Kelly told Jake Tapper. “And that says everything about Pete Hegseth.”

The post in question, published on X on Nov. 24, said officials were conducting a “thorough review” to determine whether a court‑martial was warranted.

Video urging troops to refuse illegal orders

The video, posted last month by Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D‑Mich.), features Kelly and four House Democrats — Rep. Chris Deluzio (D‑Pa.), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D‑N.H.), Rep. Jason Crow (D‑Colo.) and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D‑Pa.) — each reading lines that warned, “Threats to the Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but right here at home.” All the participants have previous service in the Navy, Army, Air Force or the CIA.

In the video the lawmakers say: “You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders.” Kelly told Tapper he sees President Donald Trump’s public denunciations of the video — including statements calling the remarks seditious and saying participants “should be in jail” — as an attempt to intimidate lawmakers by invoking the possibility of military punishment.

No specific illegal orders cited

Kelly and the other Democrats have not pointed to any concrete example of an illegal order issued by the president. Sen. Slotkin told ABC on Nov. 23 that she was "not aware" of any illegal orders from Trump.

Criticism over reported "double tap" strike

Kelly also rebuked Hegseth for his response to reporting that the military carried out a second strike in early September against suspected "narco‑terrorists" after the targets had fallen into the water. Critics called the alleged "double tap" a potential war crime; Hegseth and the president have denied an unlawful strike occurred. Kelly described the reported incident as the "result of incompetence at the highest level."

Kelly's comments come amid heightened tensions over civilian‑military relations and debate about how political leaders communicate with service members and address concerns about unlawful orders.