Who is Mark Kelly, and why is the US senator accused of ‘sedition’?

The United States Department of Defense has launched an probe into Senator Mark Kelly implicit a video successful which helium and different Democrats urged soldiers to defy “illegal orders”.

The video was released past week. It features six Democratic lawmakers who antecedently held positions successful the subject and quality services: Kelly, Representatives Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Representative Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, Representative Jason Crow of Colorado and Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.

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Slotkin wrote connected X successful a station accompanying the video that they wanted to “speak straight to members of the subject and the quality community”.

“The American radical request you to basal up for our laws and our Constitution. Don’t springiness up the ship,” Slotkin wrote.

We privation to talk straight to members of the Military and the Intelligence Community.

The American radical request you to basal up for our laws and our Constitution.

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

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

In the video, the lawmakers said the spot that citizens person successful the US subject and quality agencies was “at risk”.

“This medication is pitting our uniformed subject and quality assemblage professionals against American citizens,” the lawmakers said.

“Like us, you each swore an oath to support and support this constitution. Right now, the threats to our constitution aren’t conscionable coming from overseas but close present astatine home,” the video added.

“Our laws are clear: You tin garbage amerciable orders.”

In effect to the video, the Pentagon has announced an probe into alleged breaches of subject instrumentality by Kelly, a erstwhile navy captain, which is an antithetic measurement against retired subject personnel.

According to the US Manual for Courts-Martial, which outlines behaviour successful the military: “An bid requiring the show of a subject work oregon enactment whitethorn beryllium inferred to beryllium lawful and it is disobeyed astatine the peril of the subordinate.”

However, that inference does not use if an bid is contrary to the constitution oregon US law, is fixed by an serviceman without the authorization to contented it oregon is “patently illegal”, specified arsenic ordering the committee of a crime.

Here’s everything we know:

Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and her husband, US Senator Mark Kelly [File: AFP]

Who is Mark Kelly?

The Arizona legislator is simply a erstwhile elder navy serviceman and aviator who flew combat missions successful the archetypal Gulf War.

In 2001, Kelly became an astronaut and flew 4 abstraction shuttle missions implicit a decade, 2 of which were arsenic commander.

In 2011, Kelly retired arsenic a captain, a fertile conscionable beneath rear admiral.

In his archetypal Senate run successful 2020, Kelly finished the word of Republican Senator John McCain, who died successful office. Two years later, Kelly was re-elected to a afloat term. In the Senate, helium has focused connected nationalist information and the military.

What is the Pentagon investigation?

In a connection posted connected X connected Monday, the Pentagon said it had received “serious allegations of misconduct” against Kelly, suggesting that the video had interfered with the “loyalty, morale, oregon bully bid and subject of the equipped forces”.

“A thorough reappraisal of these allegations has been initiated to find further actions, which whitethorn see callback to progressive work for court-martial proceedings oregon administrative measures. This substance volition beryllium handled successful compliance with subject law, ensuring owed process and impartiality,” the connection read.

“All work members are reminded that they person a ineligible work nether the UCMJ [Uniform Code of Military Justice] to obey lawful orders and that orders are presumed to beryllium lawful. A work member’s idiosyncratic doctrine does not warrant oregon excuse the disobedience of an different lawful order,” it added.

On the aforesaid day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote connected X that the “seditious six” lawmakers successful the video were “despicable, reckless, and false”.

“Encouraging our warriors to disregard the orders of their Commanders undermines each facet of ‘good bid and discipline.’ Their foolish screed sows uncertainty and disorder – which lone puts our warriors successful danger,” Hegseth said, adding that lone Kelly falls nether the Department of Defense’s jurisdiction.

“Kelly’s behaviour brings discredit upon the equipped forces and volition beryllium addressed appropriately,” Hegseth said.

While each six lawmakers served successful the subject oregon quality agencies, Kelly is the lone idiosyncratic to person formally retired from the military, meaning helium tin inactive beryllium recalled for progressive work oregon look a tribunal martial for misconduct.

What has Kelly said?

In a station connected X connected Monday, Kelly wrote that helium had “sworn an oath to the Constitution successful 1986”.

“I’ve upheld it done 25 years of work and each time since I retired. If [President Donald] Trump’s trying to intimidate me, it won’t work. I’ve fixed excessively overmuch to our state to beryllium silenced by bullies who attraction much astir powerfulness than the Constitution,” helium said.

In a station past week, Kelly wrote helium “had a rocket stroke up adjacent to my airplane, been changeable astatine dozens of times by anti-aircraft fire, and launched into orbit – each for my country”.

“I ne'er thought I’d spot a President telephone for my execution. Trump doesn’t recognize the Constitution, and we’re each little harmless for it,” helium said.

What has Trump said?

In a station connected his Truth Social level past week, the president wrote that the video was “really bad, and Dangerous to our Country”.

“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!!” helium said. In a abstracted post, Trump added that it was “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH”.

But a time aft his comments, Trump told Fox News that helium wasn’t threatening decease but the Democrats were successful “serious trouble”.

Why is the Trump medication focusing connected this?

The fury implicit the video comes astatine a clip erstwhile the US subject is conducting strikes connected vessels that the Trump medication has alleged are carrying drugs.

The strikes person killed astatine slightest 83 radical successful the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

At the extremity of October, Democrats connected the Senate Judiciary Committee called connected the Department of Justice (DOJ) to manus implicit each ineligible opinions connected the legality of the military’s strikes.

“Summarily sidesplitting transgression suspects is prohibited nether home and planetary instrumentality successful some peacetime and wartime,” they wrote successful a missive to Attorney General Pam Bondi that the Reuters quality bureau saw.

But 2 weeks ago, a memo from the DOJ stated that work members could not beryllium prosecuted for the killings.

“The strikes were ordered accordant with the laws of equipped conflict, and arsenic specified are lawful orders. Military unit are legally obligated to travel lawful orders and, arsenic such, are not taxable to prosecution for pursuing lawful orders,” The Hill, a US governmental website, reported, citing a connection from a DOJ spokesperson.