On Monday, the Pentagon announced it was opening an investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over the retired Navy captain’s participation in a video where he, along with five other Democratic Congressional veterans, advised members of the military not to comply with illegal orders from Donald Trump.
“Kelly’s conduct brings discredit upon the armed forces and will be addressed appropriately,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a post on X.
Hours after news of that investigation broke, Kelly joined “The Rachel Maddow Show” and blasted the administration’s efforts, calling the probe an act of “intimidation.”
In the video, Kelly and five of his fellow Democratic lawmakers accused the administration of “pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens.”
“Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution,” the lawmakers said. “Right now, the threats coming to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad but from right here at home. Our laws are clear: You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders.”
The video, which was released last week, drew immediate backlash from Trump, who called for the lawmakers to be “ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL” for “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR,” which he noted was “punishable by death.” The president also shared several posts from other users on Truth Social, including one that said, “Hang them George Washington would.”
“I said something that was pretty simple and noncontroversial, and that was that members of the military should follow the law,” Kelly said. “In response to that, Donald Trump said I should be executed. I should be hanged. I should be prosecuted.”
Kelly said the president’s reaction “says a lot more about him than it says about me.”
The Arizona Democrat told Maddow he and his fellow lawmakers — all veterans of the military or intelligence communities — made the video because he believes “it’s important for people to know that they need to be able to stand up and speak out.”
“I spent 25 years in the United States Navy. I flew 39 combat missions over Iraq and Kuwait. Let me start by saying I never questioned any order, and you’re required to follow all legal orders. You’re also required not to follow illegal ones,” the former NASA astronaut said.
Kelly said he first learned of the investigation from Hegseth’s social media post, which he argued proved that for the administration, “This is not about the law. This is about the media cycle. And it’s about intimidation.”
However, the senator assured Maddow that Trump’s actions would not deter him from speaking out. “I’m not going to be silenced. I’m not going to be intimidated,” he said.
You can watch Maddow’s full interview with Kelly in the clip at the top of the page.
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW.