US defence chief orders probe into Arizona senator for "potentially unlawful comments"

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered an investigation into Arizona Senator Mark Kelly over comments he made in a widely circulated video reminding US military and intelligence personnel that they are not required to obey "unlawful orders."

On November 25, Hegseth directed Navy Secretary John Phelan to review what he called “potentially unlawful comments” made by Kelly, a retired Navy captain and former astronaut. Hegseth asked Phelan to brief him on the findings by December 10, Caliber.Az reports via The Department of War. 

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— Department of War 🇺🇸 (@DeptofWar) November 25, 2025

The order follows the release of a short video on November 18 in which Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers with military or intelligence backgrounds addressed service members and intelligence officers. In the message, they stressed the legal principle that uniformed personnel must refuse illegal commands. Their intervention came amid growing concerns among Democrats about the legality of recent US military actions in the Caribbean and Trump’s efforts to deploy soldiers in support of immigration sweeps in Democratic-led states.

The Pentagon escalated the dispute on November 24, warning that Kelly could be recalled to active duty to face prosecution for what it described as seditious behaviour — an action rarely threatened against former service members who have left active duty. Kelly has rejected the allegations and maintains that the video merely reiterated established military law.

Those appearing alongside Kelly in the “Don’t Give Up the Ship” video include Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, a former Army officer; Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, a former Air Force officer; White House national security adviser Eric Goodlander, a Naval Reserve officer; Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA analyst; and Rep. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, who served in the Army National Guard Reserves.

By Sabina Mammadli