Sen. Mark Kelly filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing the Trump administration of punishing him for warning troops to resist illegal orders.
The Arizona Democrat — a retired Navy captain — is fighting back after Hegseth moved to strip his rank and slash his pension for appearing in a video that urged service members to uphold the Constitution over Trump’s escalating demands.
THE DETAILS:
- In November, Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers — all veterans — released a video urging troops to defy any unlawful orders and remain loyal to the Constitution.
- That warning turned out to be prescient. Since taking office for a second term, Trump has issued blatantly illegal directives: including airstrikes in Venezuela without congressional approval and illegal troop deployments tied to land grabs in Greenland.
- In response, Hegseth issued a formal censure of Kelly and began proceedings to demote him — a move that would reduce his retirement pay and smear his service record.
“The First Amendment forbids the government and its officials from punishing disfavored expression or retaliating against protected speech,” his lawsuit states.
Why it matters:
This isn’t just about a rank. It’s about a sitting U.S. senator being targeted by a vengeful, far-right administration for refusing to go along with Trump’s authoritarian project.
Between the lines:
- Trump’s second term has brought open purges of federal employees, loyalty tests for military brass, and legal threats against political opponents.
- Hegseth — a former Fox News host with no prior military command experience — has turned the Pentagon into a partisan enforcement arm.
Zoom out:
Progressives say Kelly’s lawsuit is a line in the sand: a direct challenge to Trump’s effort to turn the U.S. military into his personal tool — and silence anyone who stands in the way.
The bottom line:
Mark Kelly isn’t just defending his own record — he’s defending the Constitution from a president who treats it like a speed bump.