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Trump threatened him with death. Now the Pentagon will probe him.



The Pentagon announced Monday that it has launched an investigation into Sen.
Mark Kelly of Arizona after he and several other Democratic lawmakers said that
military troops should not obey “illegal orders.”

In a statement on X, the so-called Department of War said that Kelly may be
recalled “to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative
measures” for his comments.




 



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“If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing
our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work,” Kelly
wrote in response to the threat. “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 served as a captain in the Navy and flew 39 combat missions in the first
Iraq War. He then went on to a distinguished career as a NASA astronaut and was
inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame before successfully running for Senate.

Kelly was part of a group of six Democratic lawmakers, including veterans of
the military and national security agencies, who created the video that sparked
retribution from the Trump administration.

“You can refuse illegal orders,” they said in the video—a bedrock concept in
American law.

The Pentagon’s threat echoes President Donald Trump’s call for the execution
of the lawmakers in the video.

“SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Trump falsely claimed in a Truth
Social post.

In an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday, Kelly responded to Trump’s
threat.

“He declared that loyalty to the Constitution is now punishable by death.
Those are serious words coming from the president of the United States,” Kelly
said. “He’s trying to intimidate us. But … I’m not going to be intimidated.”





 



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Military members take the oath of enlistment, in which they vow to “support
and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign
and domestic” and to obey orders “according to regulations and the Uniform Code
of Military Justice.”

Democrats are raising this issue because the Trump administration has
committed a series of military strikes in South America, which lawyers have
said are legally questionable, if not outright illegal. The administration is
also reportedly pushing to expand military combat in the region, possibly
leading to war.

Kelly not only gives factually correct advice in the video, but he is also
protected from frivolous prosecution as a senator.

In addition to the action against Kelly, the Pentagon has reportedly been
pressuring the House to launch an inquiry into Democratic Rep. Eugene Vindman
of Virginia, a retired Army officer. During Trump’s first impeachment trial,
Vindman testified against the president’s attempts to pressure the Ukrainian
government.

Both of these actions show that the administration is attempting to use the
power of the government against military veterans who dare to speak out against
Trump’s abuses.

Trump, who infamously called military veterans “suckers” and “losers,”
continues to add to his roster of attacks and slights against those who
dedicate their lives to serving the country.

Click here to check out this story on DailyKos.com.
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