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CNN
cnn.com › 2026 › 01 › 05 › politics › pentagon-cuts-mark-kellys-retirement-pay-punishment
Pentagon cuts Sen. Mark Kelly’s military retirement pay as punishment over ‘illegal orders’ video | CNN Politics
1 week ago - Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, by cutting his retirement pay for participating in a video where he and other Democratic lawmakers reminded US service members of their duty to refuse illegal orders.
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NYTimes
nytimes.com › u.s. › politics
Hegseth Starts Proceedings Against Sen. Mark Kelly Over His Remarks - The New York Times
1 week ago - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military had started administrative actions against Senator Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona, that could result in a reduction in his retirement rank and military pension.
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X
x.com › SecWar › status › 2008189258528665898
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on X: "Six weeks ago, Senator Mark Kelly — and five other members of Congress — released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline. As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he" / X
These actions are based on Captain Kelly's public statements from June through December 2025 in which he characterized lawful military operations as illegal and counseled members of the Armed Forces to refuse lawful orders. This conduct was seditious in nature and violated Articles 133 and 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, to which Captain Kelly remains subject as a retired officer receiving pay.
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EA Courier
eacourier.com › free-access › sen-kelly-sues-hegseth-over-effort-to-reduce-retirement-pay › article_2f17cebb-ebed-4e18-b6cc-1f8818ff97ba.html
Sen. Kelly sues Hegseth over effort to reduce retirement pay | Complimentary | eacourier.com
4 hours ago - U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., is suing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over his effort to reduce Kelly’s Navy retirement pay following the senator telling service members to disobey illegal orders. Read moreSen.
Discussions

Senator Mark Kelly sues Pete Hegseth, DOD, and others over Hegseth's censure of Kelly
Any post about politics with a Navy nexus lacking a Politics flair may result in, at a minimum, a temp ban and removal of the post. Participation in a Politics-flaired post requires a minimum r/Navy specific karma. This will be automatically enforced by the automod. Anyone using the Politics flair should utilize a common sense approach to what is a Navy nexus. This does not mean posts with Politics flair will be unmoderated. All discussion must adhere to r/Navy rule #1 and Reddit rule #1. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/navy
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4 days ago
Mark Kelly v. Pete Hegseth
This lawsuit is going to be a serious problem for Pete Hegseth and the administration, and the fact that it had to be filed at all is a pretty stark indictment of where things are right now. A sitting Member of Congress has more speech protection than an ordinary citizen, not less. The Speech and Debate Clause exists specifically to prevent the executive branch from punishing legislators for political speech. Whatever limits apply to active-duty service members do not override a Senator speaking in his legislative capacity. Even putting the constitutional issues aside, what Kelly said should not be controversial. Reminding service members that they are not required to follow illegal orders is basic constitutional and military law. If that is now being labeled seditious, the problem is not the speech. It is the standard being applied. The selective enforcement only makes this worse. Multiple veterans in Congress participated in the same statement. Only Mark Kelly was punished. That looks far less like neutral application of military authority and far more like retaliation. The most plausible explanation is that Kelly has name recognition and credibility, so the administration thought making an example of him would deter others. Courts are rarely sympathetic to that kind of reasoning. Finally, yes, the Department of Defense and the Navy clearly overstepped their authority. Retirement grade determinations are tied to active-duty conduct, not civilian political speech years later. Using military retirement authority to discipline a sitting Senator crosses a clear separation of powers line. This is not a close or novel constitutional question. It is an overreach that is likely to age very poorly once a court actually examines it. Given everything else unfolding right now, it is hard to see much value in even debating this. Between the Epstein files fiasco, the confusion around Venezuela and Greenland, and the ongoing Minnesota ICE and CBP situation, this feels less like a serious legal or policy dispute and more like background noise in an administration that is constantly generating new controversies faster than anyone can meaningfully engage with them...sigh. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/moderatepolitics
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4 days ago
The law isn’t on Pete Hegseth’s side as he attempts to demote Mark Kelly
His goal isn't to demote Mark Kelly, it is to quiet dissent. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Military
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1 week ago
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent a letter of censure to Sen. Mark Kelly. What does that mean?
Just my opinion but I feel like he's doing this to keep other retirees quiet. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Military
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1 week ago
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Yahoo!
ca.news.yahoo.com › hegseth-censures-sen-mark-kelly-153638119.html
Hegseth censures Sen. Mark Kelly, backs down from court-martial - Yahoo News Canada
2 weeks ago - Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has backed down from previous threats to court-martial retired Navy captain Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, for his role in a video telling service members they "can refuse illegal orders."
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Military.com
military.com › feature › 2026 › 01 › 14 › mark-kellys-lawsuit-against-pete-hegseth-tests-limits-of-executive-power-over-retired-officers.html
Mark Kelly’s Lawsuit Against Pete Hegseth Tests the Limits of Executive Power Over Retired Officers | Military.com
11 hours ago - Senator Mark Kelly is suing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, arguing the Pentagon unlawfully retaliated against his political speech by threatening his military retirement rank and pension.
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9news
9news.com › video › news › politics › national-politics › mark-kelly-suing-pete-hegseth-and-pentagon › 73-34a9d0ea-6383-4b6f-a333-66262da19e7c
Mark Kelly suing Pete Hegseth and Pentagon | 9news.com
Arizona's Mark Kelly is suing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon after Hegseth moved to censure the senator.
Published   1 day ago
Find elsewhere
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MS NOW
ms.now › home › hegseth taunts mark kelly as another democratic veteran faces investigation
Hegseth taunts Mark Kelly as another Democratic veteran faces investigation
In mid-December, the Pentagon announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was “escalating” his crusade against Sen. Mark Kelly, launching an “official Command Investigation” into the Arizona Democrat.
Published   2 days ago
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Slate
slate.com › news-and-politics › 2026 › 01 › pete-hegseth-mark-kelly-military-law-court-martial.html
The Defense Department’s case against Mark Kelly is even dumber than it sounds.
2 days ago - Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s campaign to punish Sen. Mark Kelly—a retired Navy captain—for urging members of the armed forces to disobey unlawful orders, is even more outlandish, and legally baseless, than it seems at first glance.
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The Guardian
theguardian.com › us-news › 2026 › jan › 12 › mark-kelly-pete-hegseth-lawsuit
Mark Kelly sues Hegseth over ‘chilling’ effort to reduce military retirement rank | US military | The Guardian
3 days ago - Democratic US senator Mark Kelly filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking to nullify the “chilling” attempt by the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, to reduce the military veteran’s rank and pension as punishment for speaking out against the Trump ...
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U.S. Senate
kelly.senate.gov › home › statement from senator kelly
Statement from Senator Kelly - Senator Mark Kelly
3 days ago - Today, Arizona Senator and Navy combat veteran Mark Kelly released the following statement: “Pete Hegseth is coming after what I earned through my twenty-five years of military service, in violation of my rights as an American, as a retired veteran, and as a United States Senator whose job ...
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CBC News
cbc.ca › news › world › mark-kelly-sues-penatgon-9.7042526
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly sues the Pentagon over his censure, calling it 'unconstitutional' | CBC News
4 days ago - Kelly said in a statement on Monday ... fought to defend our freedoms." He accused Hegseth of trying to suppress dissent by threatening military veterans with depriving them of their rank and pay....
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CBS News
cbsnews.com › politics › sen. mark kelly sues hegseth to block move to cut rank, pension
Sen. Mark Kelly sues Hegseth to block move to cut rank and pension over illegal orders video - CBS News
3 days ago - Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly filed a lawsuit against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seeking to block the Pentagon's efforts to downgrade his retirement rank and pay.
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NPR
npr.org › 2026 › 01 › 05 › nx-s1-5667080 › mark-kelly-pete-hegseth-pentagon-military-rank-retirement
Sen. Mark Kelly fires back after Hegseth threatens his rank and retirement pay
1 week ago - Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly is pledging to fight back after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced he's taking administrative action against Kelly.
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Business Insider
businessinsider.com › business insider › military & defense › hegseth's prosecution of mark kelly sends a chilling message to us troops and veterans, legal analysts say
Hegseth's prosecution of Mark Kelly sends a chilling message to US troops and veterans, legal analysts say
1 week ago - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's extraordinary move to demote a retired military veteran in the Senate comes after weeks of threats for more severe punishment, and experts on military law said it has implications for speech by troops and retired military. The highly public decision to censure Democratic Sen. Mark Kelley and to possibly dock his military pension is likely to make military retirees think twice before publicly criticizing the Trump administration, two former military lawyers said.
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ABC News
abcnews.go.com › Politics › hegseth-sen-mark-kelly-receive-administrative-punishment-video › story
Hegseth censures Sen. Mark Kelly over video about unlawful orders - ABC News
1 week ago - Hegseth censures Democratic Sen. Kelly for "seditious" conduct, referring to video Kelly participated in telling service members of their right to refuse unlawful orders.
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MS NOW
ms.now › home › the law isn’t on pete hegseth’s side as he attempts to demote mark kelly
Opinion | Why Pete Hegseth can't reduce Mark Kelly's rank and pay
Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, as he threatened ... war,” pivoted and said Tuesday that Kelly will be administratively (meaning, arbitrarily and behind closed Pentagon doors) demoted in rank....
Published   1 week ago
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CBS News
cbsnews.com › cbs mornings › sen. mark kelly says hegseth's move to demote him "is about stifling people's speech"
Sen. Mark Kelly says Hegseth's move to demote him "is about stifling people's speech" - CBS News
1 week ago - Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona said on Tuesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's move to begin a process to demote and cut his retirement pay "is about stifling people's speech."
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CTVNews
ctvnews.ca › world › article › hegseth-censures-us-sen-kelly-after-warning-about-following-illegal-orders
Pete Hegseth censures U.S. Senator Mark Kelly
2 weeks ago - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday announced that he is issuing a letter of censure to Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over the lawmaker’s participation in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders.