{"id":888058,"date":"2026-01-26T23:18:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T05:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/26\/sen-kelly-says-hell-fight-pentagons-attempt-at-downgrading-his-military-rank\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T23:18:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T05:18:53","slug":"sen-kelly-says-hell-fight-pentagons-attempt-at-downgrading-his-military-rank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/26\/sen-kelly-says-hell-fight-pentagons-attempt-at-downgrading-his-military-rank\/","title":{"rendered":"Sen. Kelly Says He’ll Fight Pentagon’s Attempt At Downgrading His Military Rank"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Topline<\/h2>\n

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said he will challenge the Pentagon\u2019s attempt to downgrade his military rank, calling the move \u201coutrageous\u201d and accusing the Trump administration of trying to silence its critics. <\/p>\n

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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)<\/span><\/p>\n

CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images<\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Key Facts<\/h2>\n
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said<\/a> Monday the Pentagon has initiated proceedings to downgrade Kelly\u2019s 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 \u201crefuse illegal orders.\u201d<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

Kelly and five other Democrats with intelligence or military backgrounds participated in a video<\/a> in November, titled \u201cDon\u2019t give up the ship,\u201d reminding service members they don\u2019t have to follow orders that could violate federal law.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur laws are clear, you can refuse illegal orders,\u201d Kelly said in the video, adding \u201cIt\u2019s a difficult time to be a public servant . . . your vigilance is critical.\u201d<\/p>\n

The video sparked fierce backlash from Trump and his allies, with the president warning the lawmakers in a series of social media posts that \u201cSEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR\u201d is \u201cpunishable by DEATH!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Crucial Quote<\/h2>\n

\u201cPete Hegseth wants to send the message to every single retired servicemember that if they say something he or Donald Trump doesn\u2019t like, they will come after them the same way,\u201d Kelly wrote on X<\/a>, calling Hegseth \u201cthe most unqualified Secretary of Defense in our country\u2019s history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chief Critic<\/h2>\n

\u201cAs a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice,\u201d Hegseth wrote Monday on X, calling the video \u201creckless and seditious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tangent<\/h2>\n

Kelly earns about $6,000 per month in retirement pay, Politico reported.<\/a><\/p>\n

What To Watch For<\/h2>\n

Kelly has 30 days to appeal the decision.<\/p>\n

Key Background<\/h2>\n

In the video, the lawmakers didn\u2019t 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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019 concerns by claiming the drug cartels pose an immediate threat to the U.S. The capture of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s 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. <\/p>\n

Further Reading<\/h2>\n

Democrats Demand Trump Delete Death Threats Against Congress Members \u2018Before He Gets Someone Killed\u2019<\/a> (Forbes)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sara Dorn
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Topline Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said he will challenge the Pentagon\u2019s attempt to downgrade his military rank, calling the move \u201coutrageous\u201d 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)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":888059,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29508,579],"tags":[6836,9910],"class_list":{"0":"post-888058","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hell","8":"category-kelly","9":"tag-hell","10":"tag-kelly"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/888058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=888058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/888058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/888059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=888058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=888058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=888058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}