Navy submits report to Pentagon on Sen. Mark Kelly’s possible punishment over 'illegal orders' video

The U.S. Navy has submitted a report on possible punishments for Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) over his part in a recent video in which he and other Democratic lawmakers — one other senator and four U.S. House members — told U.S. service members to disobey “illegal orders.”

The report, which was ordered by the Department of Defense and referred to the Navy, was sent to the Pentagon’s Office of General Counsel, according to The Hill. 

In a statement to the outlet on Thursday, Kelly’s spokesperson said, “It defies belief that with all of the threats facing our country, Pete Hegseth initiated this ridiculous process to try to intimidate Senator Kelly for saying something Pete Hegseth himself has said repeatedly.” 

Kelly, also a former astronaut, retired from the Navy with the rank of captain and has deployed twice to the Persian Gulf. He has also worked as an instructor at the Naval Pilot School.

The lawmakers did not specify which illegal orders the Trump administration may have given to U.S. forces. All six of the Democrats in the video had either military or intelligence backgrounds.

“I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution,” Kelly previously said in a statement. 

“The military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. It does not need political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previously said.