Staff Reports
On November 24, 2025 the Pentagon quietly announced it was opening a misconduct review into Senator Mark Kelly after he and several other Democrats posted a short video urging service members to “refuse illegal orders.” The clip featured Kelly alongside Senator Elissa Slotkin and Representatives Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan, Chris Deluzio and Maggie Goodlander — all veterans or former intelligence officers — repeating the line that troops could and must refuse unlawful commands. Given the razor-thin line between lawful civilian oversight and active encouragement to disobey the chain of command, the Defense Department’s review was not only appropriate, it was overdue.
Conservatives should welcome any effort that defends the integrity of our military from politicization, and Secretary Pete Hegseth was right to flag Kelly’s use of his rank and service affiliation as lending the appearance of authority to a highly charged message. Encouraging mass disobedience, even indirectly, risks turning the men and women who swear to defend the Constitution into pawns in a partisan game. If lawmakers want to debate policy or criticize the commander in chief, they should do so in Congress, not in viral clips aimed at active-duty personnel.
Make no mistake: this was political theater, not responsible leadership. If those Democrats truly believed any orders were illegal, the honest and patriotic thing would have been to identify them specifically and pursue legal channels, not whip up fear among troops with vague slogans. The American military should never be a battleground for political virtue-signaling from Capitol Hill.
President Trump reacted forcefully on November 20, 2025, calling the video “seditious behavior” and reposting sharp language that reflected how dangerous many viewed the move. Conservatives who love this country and the rule of law know the difference between lawful dissent and rhetoric that risks sowing insubordination at a time when our forces face real threats overseas. Strong words from the commander in chief are understandable when the institution that defends our liberty is being publicly undermined.
For the rank-and-file who put their lives on the line, responsibility and discipline matter more than performative politics. Military law already allows refusal of manifestly illegal orders, but it also exists to prevent chaos and ensure unity under civilian control. Publicly urging broad refusal without context is reckless and irresponsible, and it erodes trust in the very system that protects our freedoms.
Accountability must follow. If the Pentagon’s review shows that Senator Kelly used his former uniform to confer improper authority or that other lawmakers crossed legal or ethical lines, then recall, discipline, and even referral for prosecution should be on the table. No one in public life should be allowed to weaponize their service or the military’s honor for partisan advantage.
Hardworking Americans want a strong, apolitical military that answers to the Constitution, not to trending clips or viral outrage. Voters should remember which politicians sought to pull our troops into partisan theater and hold them accountable at the ballot box. Patriots will stand with the men and women in uniform and demand that those who would tempt them into disobedience be punished for their reckless games.
