ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly scoffed at Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s investigation into the senator over his call for military members to defy so-called illegal orders.
Kelly joined five other Democrats, all of whom had served in the military or intelligence community, to participate in a video calling on service members to “refuse illegal orders” given to them by President Donald Trump. During his Tuesday appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” Kelly and Kimmel completely disregarded the investigation and agreed that Hegseth is just unqualified for his job.
“You have Pete Hegseth, who runs the Department of War, is going to open an investigation into you, I assume into your colleagues. You will have to be interviewed by the FBI. And they’re trying to find what exactly? I mean, what even is sedition?” Kimmel asked.
“Well, this is the investigation because of what Donald Trump said, from what I can tell. And I don’t know Pete Hegseth well,” Kelly said. “I sit on the committee that ultimately had to confirm him. So I know a little bit about his background. He’s totally unqualified … And from what I can tell, and talking to some of my Republican colleagues, I mean, he just wants to please the president. And this is what he can do this week.”
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Kelly, who is a retired Navy Captain, remains subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and is eligible for recall as a retiree, the Department of War said in its announcement. This status may not apply to other former members of the military who appeared in the video, including Democratic Colorado Rep. Jason Crow.
“The Department of War reminds all individuals that military retirees remain subject to the UCMJ for applicable offenses, and federal laws such as 18 U.S.C. § 2387 prohibit actions intended to interfere with the loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces,” the Pentagon stated. “Any violations will be addressed through appropriate legal channels.”
Hegseth referred to the Democratic lawmakers as the “seditious six” in an X post on Monday and clarified that Kelly is still beholden to the Uniform code for Military Justice (UCMJ). He stated that Kelly’s conduct will be “addressed appropriately.”
Democratic Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who initially posted the video to her X account, could not name a single illegal order that Trump had given military members during a Sunday appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”
Trump suggested that the six Democrats committed crimes “punishable by death” in a Nov. 20 post on Truth Social.
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