Senator Mark Kelly Faces Demotion: Military Pay Cut as Punishment for Video Warning Against 'Illegal Orders'

US Democratic Senator Mark Kelly is facing a potential demotion from his military rank as well as a pay cut by the Pentagon. The actions against Kelly follow his involvement in a video where he urged active service members to defy orders deemed 'illegal.'

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday that the Pentagon will be taking 'administrative action' against Kelly, having also issued a letter of censure. Hegseth described the video which Kelly along with five other Democratic lawmakers were part of as 'reckless and seditious' and 'clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline.'

The 'Seditious' Video

Kelly was one of six Democratic lawmakers who released a video urging servicemembers not to follow any 'illegal' orders by President Donald Trump and his administration. Alongside Kelly were Senator Elissa Slotkin and Reps. Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio, and Chrissy Houlahan.

Crow is a veteran who served in Iraq and was awarded the Bronze Star. Deluzio and Kelly served in the Navy, and Houlahan served in the Air Force. Goodlander was an intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve for 11 years, and Slotkin is a former CIA Analyst who worked in the State Department and Pentagon during the Obama administration. Kelly is the only one at risk for punishment following the video.

Following the release of the video, Trump accused them of 'sedition', followed by a veiled death threat as punishment. Trump would later walk back his accusatory post, saying that he did not actually intend for them to be executed.

Kelly Calls Out Hegseth in Response

Shortly after Hegseth announces the potential actions the Pentagon will take against Kelly, the Democratic Senator said he plans on challenging their decision. In a post on X, Kelly said he did not expect Hegseth and Trump to 'attack' him for trying to defend the First Amendment rights to speak out for or against their government.

'Pete Hegseth wants to send the message to every single retired servicemember that if they say something he or Donald Trump doesn't like, they will come after them the same way. It's outrageous and it is wrong. There is nothing more un-American than that,' said Kelly.

Kelly continued, 'If Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified Secretary of Defence in our country's history, thinks he can intimidate me with a censure or threats to demote me or prosecute me, he still doesn't get it. I will fight this with everything I've got – not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump don't get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government.'

Kelly further detailed his service record, writing, 'Over twenty-five years in the U.S. Navy, thirty-nine combat missions, and four missions to space, I risked my life for this country and to defend our Constitution. My rank and retirement are things that I earned through my service and sacrifice for this country.'