'Reckless and seditious': Hegseth issues brutal demotion of Democrat senator over 'illegal orders' video

The Department of War is ramping up its efforts to punish Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over his involvement in what President Donald Trump and his administration have described as a "seditious" video.

At Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's direction, the department is set to cut Kelly's military retirement pay for an alleged "pattern of reckless misconduct," namely the video of Democrat lawmakers calling for servicemen to disobey "illegal orders" from the president. The DOW also issued a letter of censure to Kelly, which "outlines the totality of Captain (for now) Kelly’s reckless misconduct."

'Kelly’s status as a sitting United States Senator does not exempt him from accountability.'

"Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly — and five other members of Congress — released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline," Hegseth said in a post on X. "As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice."

"And the Department of War — and the American people — expect justice."

RELATED: 'Ridiculous charade': Bill O'Reilly torches Democrat senator over 'seditious' political stunt

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Hegseth justified the response by arguing that Kelly's prominence as a senator does not give him special privileges, citing specific articles Kelly may have violated.

"Captain Kelly’s status as a sitting United States Senator does not exempt him from accountability, and further violations could result in further action," Hegseth said. "These actions are based on Captain Kelly's public statements from June through December 2025 in which he characterized lawful military operations as illegal and counseled members of the Armed Forces to refuse lawful orders."

"This conduct was seditious in nature and violated Articles 133 and 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, to which Captain Kelly remains subject as a retired officer receiving pay."

RELATED: Pentagon says court-martial possible for Sen. Mark Kelly after Trump calls him a 'traitor' for 'seditious' video

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Kelly fired back at Hegseth, calling him unqualified and accusing him of targeting lawmakers for simply opposing the administration.

"Over twenty-five years in the U.S. Navy, thirty-nine combat missions, and four missions to space, I risked my life for this country and to defend our Constitution – including the First Amendment rights of every American to speak out," Kelly said in a post on X. "I never expected that the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense would attack me for doing exactly that."

"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 added. "It’s outrageous and it is wrong. There is nothing more un-American than that."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!