The United States Department of Defense has announced that it has received "serious allegations of misconduct" against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, who was a combat pilot, astronaut, and is a Navy captain in the Reserve since retiring to care for his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, a congresswoman who was shot in the head but survived. And that they have "initiated a thorough review of these allegations to determine additional measures, which could include a return to active duty for a court-martial or administrative actions."
The announcement comes after President Donald Trump, furious, threatened from his social media accounts to consider opposition politicians who have been reminding active-duty military not to obey illegal orders as "seditionists." "LOCK THEM UP???" he asked on Thursday in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, before sharing a follower's post that said, "THEY SHOULD BE HANGED, GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD DO IT!!!" Following his social media posts, Trump stated on Friday in an interview with Fox News that he was not "threatening them with death, but I think they are in serious trouble." "If we look at sedition," the president added, "it is a very serious form of treason."
The origin is a video of Democratic politicians, shared by Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, showing Senator Mark Kelly and Congress members Chris DeLuzio, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan, and Jason Crow reminding soldiers of their constitutional oath. Since then, they have reported receiving numerous death threats, and even a case of someone entering their office shouting supremacist slogans.
"The tweets from Secretary Hegseth were the first news I had of this. I also saw the president's posts saying that I should be arrested, hanged, and executed. If this is intended to intimidate me and other members of Congress so that we do not do our job and demand accountability from this Administration, it will not work. I have given too much to this country to be silenced by abusers who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution," Kelly responded.
"This matter will be handled in accordance with military law, ensuring due process and impartiality. Additional official comments will be limited to preserve the integrity of the process," the Department of Defense statement says.
"Retired military personnel remain subject to the Military Justice Code for applicable offenses, and federal laws prohibit actions that seek to interfere with the loyalty, morals, good order, and discipline of the armed forces. Any infractions will be addressed through the appropriate legal channels. All military personnel are reminded that, according to the Code, they have a legal obligation to obey lawful orders, and these orders are presumed lawful. A military member's personal philosophy does not justify or excuse disobedience of a lawful order," the message concludes.
And there lies the key. At all times, Kelly and his associates speak of illegal orders, and the Department of Defense, headed by Pete Hegseth, considers all orders to be presumed legal in the chain of command. "The 'Six Seditionists' video was despicable, reckless, and false. Encouraging our warriors to ignore their commanders' orders undermines every aspect of 'good order and discipline.' Their absurd diatribe sows doubt and confusion, which only endangers our warriors," Hegseth wrote on his social media account.
"Five of the six people in that video are not under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense [one is from the CIA and four are former military, but not in the reserve]. However, Mark Kelly (retired Navy commander) remains subject to the Military Justice Code, and he knows it," the Secretary of Defense added.
Kelly's response, with a message on social media also showing his uniform decorations, was immediate. Not only stating that they will not intimidate him and his colleagues, but also recalling his history of serving the country.
"At 22, I was commissioned as an officer in the United States Navy and swore allegiance to the Constitution. I fulfilled that oath during flight school, multiple deployments on the USS Midway, 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm, four space shuttle flights at NASA, and every day since I retired, which I did after my wife, Gabby, was shot in the headwhile serving her constituents. In combat, a missile exploded near my plane, and I flew through anti-aircraft fire to drop bombs on enemy targets. At NASA, I launched a rocket, commanded the space shuttle, and participated in the recovery mission that brought home the bodies of my fellow astronauts who died on the Columbia. I did all this in service of this country that I love and that has given me so much," he wrote.