Pentagon says it's investigating Sen. Mark Kelly over video urging troops to defy 'illegal orders'
apnews.com
The Pentagon says it's investigating Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over possible breaches of military law after the former Navy pilot joined a handful of other lawmakers in a video that called for U.S. troops to defy “illegal orders.”

The Pentagon says it is investigating Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona for possible breaches of military law after Kelly joined a handful of other lawmakers in a video that called for U.S. troops to refuse unlawful orders.

The Pentagon’s statement, which was posted on social media on Monday, cited a federal law that allows retired service members to be recalled to active duty on orders of the defense secretary for possible court-martial or other measures. Kelly served in the U.S. Navy as a fighter pilot before going on to become an astronaut. He retired at the rank of captain.

It is extraordinary for the Pentagon, which until the second Trump term has usually gone out of its way to act and appear apolitical, to directly threaten a sitting member of Congress with investigation.

  • floofloof@lemmy.ca
    51·
    10 hours ago

    Kelly told troops “you can refuse illegal orders,” and other lawmakers said they needed troops to “stand up for our laws … our Constitution.”

    …

    “Kelly’s conduct brings discredit upon the armed forces and will be addressed appropriately,” Hegseth added.

    Days after the video was released, President Donald Trump accused the lawmakers of sedition “punishable by DEATH” in a social media post.

    …

    Troops, especially uniformed commanders, do have a specific obligations to reject orders that are unlawful, if they make that determination.

    So he told the troops to do things everyone agrees they are sworn to do, and Republicans complain he’s bringing the military into disrepute and call for his imprisonment and execution, and the Dept of Defense (War?) then pursues ways to achieve this. I guess the USA isn’t doing that whole constitution thing any more.

    • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      10·
      7 hours ago

      That isn’t even completely accurate, it’s not that they can refuse unlawful orders, they are literally required to refuse them.

    • DarkFuture@lemmy.worldEnglish
      16·
      8 hours ago

      The sooner the majority of Americans realize that we are dealing with actual, real life traitors operating our federal government, the sooner we can deal with them.

      I’m hoping that moment comes sooner than later, but I’m not crossing my fingers.

      • MonkeMischief@lemmy.today
        1·
        4 hours ago

        Y’know when things were relatively less crazy with Russia, I remember lotsa military fiction (or maybe just Modern Warfare 1 idk) using "Russian Ultranationalists " as the “never-ending military bad guy goon-squad terrorist faction” that’s okay to fight and kill in an entertainment product while still saying “Any resemblance is coincidental.”

        …My point is that the highest offices of the U.S are controlled by a US “ultranationalist” terrorist goon squad faction. They’re such ridiculously overt bad guys that they’d be considered too outlandish for a Michael Bay movie.

        …and everybody’s like “Oh my! So shocking! Well, you know, this is just politics.”

        They just don’t want to believe that a violent fringe cult is right there in front of them, ransacking and demolishing centuries of progress.

        They must be stopped or they won’t stop.

    • LOGIC💣@lemmy.world
      19·
      9 hours ago

      For these types of stories, I always think of traffic laws and speed limits, specifically because most people are familiar with breaking those laws.

      “The speed limit here is 30 miles per hour. You should not drive over the speed limit.”

      “We need to investigate this person because he is telling people to follow the law.”

      This reasoning is sort of unthinkable and unfair.