In response to a 90-second video encouraging members of the US military to refuse to obey illegal orders, the Department of Defense (DOD) issued a statement confirming that the Pentagon is investigating whether Arizona Senator Mark Kelly violated military law. “A thorough review of these allegations has been initiated to determine further action, which may include removal from active duty, court-martial proceedings or administrative measures,” the DOD wrote on Twitter.
trump vs kelly
Kelly, who served as a NASA astronaut for 15 years before retiring in 2011, appears in the video with five other Democratic senators, reminding military personnel that they have the right to disobey unlawful orders.
“This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens,” he said. The video may have referred to the deployment of the National Guard in several American cities.
“Treasonous behavior, punishable by death!” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week. “The traitors who told the military to disobey my orders should be in jail right now, not roaming around on fake news networks trying to explain that what they said was right.”
It appears that all of Trump’s online blabbering has manifested into IRL consequences, with the DOD revealing that Kelly could face legal action. However, Kelly did not back down. “If it’s meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing their jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work,” the retired Navy captain, fighter pilot and astronaut wrote on Twitter.
When I was 22, I was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy and took the Oath of the Constitution. I upheld that oath through flight school, multiple deployments aboard the USS Midway, 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm, test pilot school, four space… pic.twitter.com/jMAlYEozQ6
– Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) 24 November 2025
Kelly spent more than 50 days in space, logging four missions and commanding the final Space Shuttle flight. Mark and his twin brother Scott, also a retired astronaut, participated in NASA’s Twin Study. The year-long study compared blood samples from identical twins when Scott was in space and Mark was on Earth.
“At NASA, I launched a rocket, commanded the space shuttle, and was part of the recovery mission that brought home the bodies of my astronaut classmates who died on Columbia,” Kelly wrote on X.
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