Topline
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said he will challenge the Pentagon’s attempt to downgrade his military rank, calling the move “outrageous” and accusing the Trump administration of trying to silence its critics.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., talks with reporters in the Senate subway on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Key Facts
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday the Pentagon has initiated proceedings to downgrade Kelly’s rank as a retired captain and his pay grade following an investigation into the anti-Trump video he and five other Democrats made in November urging military members to “refuse illegal orders.”
Kelly said he will challenge the proceedings, noting that he served in 39 combat missions and four trips to space during his 25 years in the Navy and as a NASA astronaut.
Kelly and five other Democrats with intelligence or military backgrounds participated in a video in November, titled “Don’t give up the ship,” reminding service members they don’t have to follow orders that could violate federal law.
“Our laws are clear, you can refuse illegal orders,” Kelly said in the video, adding “It’s a difficult time to be a public servant . . . your vigilance is critical.”
The video sparked fierce backlash from Trump and his allies, with the president warning the lawmakers in a series of social media posts that “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR” is “punishable by DEATH!”
Crucial Quote
“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,” Kelly wrote on X, calling Hegseth “the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in our country’s history.”
Chief Critic
“As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice,” Hegseth wrote Monday on X, calling the video “reckless and seditious.”
Tangent
Kelly earns about $6,000 per month in retirement pay, Politico reported.
What To Watch For
Kelly has 30 days to appeal the decision.
Key Background
In the video, the lawmakers didn’t explicitly say which orders they were referring to, though several, including Kelly, mentioned the U.S. military campaign against Venezuelan drug cartels in explaining their rationale. Congress members on both sides of the aisle have raised concerns the U.S. military’s attacks on so-called drug boats in the Caribbean are an unprecedented use of military power, without proper congressional approval, for a criminal matter that’s typically handled by law enforcement. Some Democrats have also accused the Trump administration of lacking the evidence to justify the attacks. More than 100 people have been killed in the strikes that began in September, mostly in the Caribbean. The Trump administration has disputed lawmakers’ concerns by claiming the drug cartels pose an immediate threat to the U.S. The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend has muddied that explanation as Trump has made clear it was intended to force him from power and seize control of Venezuela and its vast oil reserves.
Further Reading
Democrats Demand Trump Delete Death Threats Against Congress Members ‘Before He Gets Someone Killed’ (Forbes)
Sara Dorn
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