Hegseth Censures Sen. Kelly For Participation In Video Calling On Troops To Defy Orders

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday that he will issue a letter of censure to Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) over the senator’s participation in a video released in November urging U.S. troops to resist “unlawful orders” made by the president. Sen. Elissa Slotkin and Reps. Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan, and Jason Crow, all veterans of the military and intelligence community, also participated in the video.

“We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community,” Sen. Slotkin said in a post accompanying the video. “The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution. Don’t give up the ship.”

“Our laws are clear, you can refuse illegal orders,” Kelly and others state in the video, without explaining how the Trump administration had violated the Constitution.

We want to speak directly to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community.

The American people need you to stand up for our laws and our Constitution.

Don’t give up the ship. pic.twitter.com/N8lW0EpQ7r

— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) November 18, 2025

“Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly — and five other members of Congress — released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline,” Hegseth said in a post on X.

“As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of War — and the American people — expect justice.”

The Department of War has begun retirement grade determination proceedings under 10 U.S.C. § 1370(f), which could result in a reduction of Kelly’s retired rank and corresponding pay. Hegseth also issued a formal Letter of Censure, citing Kelly’s “reckless misconduct” and placing it permanently in his military personnel file.

“Captain Kelly has been provided notice of the basis for this action and has thirty days to submit a response,” Hegseth explained. “The retirement grade determination process directed by Secretary Hegseth will be completed within forty-five days.”

According to Hegseth, it wasn’t just Kelly’s participation in the video that prompted this censure. “These actions are based on Captain Kelly’s public statements from June through December 2025 in which he characterized lawful military operations as illegal and counseled members of the Armed Forces to refuse lawful orders,” Hegseth explained. “This conduct was seditious in nature and violated Articles 133 and 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, to which Captain Kelly remains subject as a retired officer receiving pay.”

He added that “Captain Kelly’s status as a sitting United States Senator does not exempt him from accountability, and further violations could result in further action.”

Even members of the mainstream media acknowledged that Kelly, Slotkin, and the others had implied that President Trump had already issued illegal orders. However, when pressed on this issue by ABC’s Martha Raddatz, Slotkin not only admitted that Trump had never issued any illegal orders, but that she couldn’t define what “illegal orders” meant. 

 “It was basically a warning to say, like, if you’re asked to do something particularly against American citizens, you have the ability to go to your JAG officer and push back,” Slotkin explained to Raddatz.

But that’s not what the members of Congress said in the video. Raddatz called her out for this.

“Couldn’t you have done a video saying just what you just said?” Raddatz asked. “If you are asked to do something—if you are worried about whether it is legal or not—you can do this. It does imply that the president is having illegal orders, which you have not seen.”

Slotkin also admitted that even though she and the other members of Congress who participated in the video told troops to defy “illegal orders” that she couldn’t define what that meant.

“It is very clear that no one should follow an illegal order, but it’s very murky when you look at what is an illegal order.”

Elissa Slotkin ADMITS Democrats lied about President Trump issuing illegal orders to the military:

ABC: “Do you believe President Trump has issued any illegal orders?”

SLOTKIN: “To my knowledge I am not aware of things that are illegal.” pic.twitter.com/63F8AHkK7E

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 23, 2025

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) responded to the censure by calling Kelly a “hero and a patriot” in a post on X.

“Mark Kelly is a hero and a patriot committed to serving the American people. Pete Hegseth is a lap dog committed to serving one man – Donald Trump,” he claimed. “This is a despicable act of political retribution. I stand with Sen. Kelly, who will always do the right thing no matter the consequences.”