During a closed Senate Armed Services Committee briefing, Pete Hegseth and Sen. Mark Kelly clashed over disputed strikes on vessels suspected to be drug boats, including a Sept. 2 strike that reportedly killed two survivors. Hegseth’s distinction between lawful and unlawful orders was widely seen as a reference to a Pentagon review of Kelly for appearing in a video urging troops to refuse unlawful orders. The Defense Department says it received "serious allegations" and has escalated its probe; Kelly has defended the video and called the investigation "a bunch of bulls--t."
Hegseth and Sen. Mark Kelly Clash During Closed-Door Briefing Over Controversial Caribbean Strike
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Pete Hegseth and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly exchanged sharp words Tuesday during a closed-door Senate Armed Services Committee briefing as the Defense Department’s representative defended contested strikes on vessels alleged to be drug boats.
Hegseth, 45, briefed senators about recent U.S. operations in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean. Critics and some lawmakers have questioned the legality of several lethal actions, particularly a Sept. 2 strike that reportedly killed two survivors clinging to wreckage from an earlier engagement.
What Sparked the Exchange
According to Punchbowl News, when Sen. Kelly asked about the strikes, Hegseth drew a distinction between lawful and unlawful orders. Observers interpreted the comment as an apparent reference to a Department of Defense review of Kelly for participating in a video that urged service members to refuse "unlawful orders." Kelly, a former Navy captain, interrupted to say his question was unrelated to the department’s inquiry, and the exchange escalated.
Kelly reportedly used Hegesth's own words against him during the classified briefing. / Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Kelly: "It seems like he came there with a little bit of a speech for me... Even in this closed briefing with a bunch of senators, he’s focused on this thing about me, and didn’t even want to get to my questions... I think it again shows how unserious this guy is."
After the classified briefing, Kelly told reporters the campaign against him was "all a bunch of bulls--t," adding that he was being targeted for saying something lawful and true — remarks he said Hegseth himself had made previously in 2016.
Investigation and Political Fallout
Soon after the video in which Kelly and several other Democratic lawmakers urged troops to refuse unlawful orders was released, the Defense Department said it had received "serious allegations of misconduct" and opened a review to determine whether further actions — including recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures — were warranted. On Monday, the Pentagon reportedly escalated that investigation.
President Trump publicly accused the lawmakers involved in the video of treason, a charge that drew strong rebuttals from Kelly and other Democrats. Speaking on MSNBС’s Rachel Maddow show last month, Kelly defended the video: "People listen to what he says, more so than anybody else in the country. He should be careful with his words, but I’m not going to be silenced here. I’m going to show up for work every day, support the Constitution, do my job, hold this administration accountable..."
Hegseth's investigation into Kelly is
Hegseth has declined to release the full, unedited video of the Sept. 2 strike to the public, saying the footage is classified. "Of course we’re not going to release a top secret, full, unedited video of that to the general public," he said, a stance that drew criticism from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Schumer: "If they can’t be transparent on this, how can you trust their transparency on all the other issues swirling about in the Caribbean?"
The Pentagon declined to comment for this report. Sen. Kelly has been contacted for further comment.
