Navy submits report on Kelly’s potential punishment over illegal orders video
by Filip Timotija - 12/11/25 3:10 PM ET
The U.S. Navy has submitted its report on the potential punishments for Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) over a recent video where he and other Democratic lawmakers told U.S. troops to disobey “illegal orders.”
The report, which was ordered by the Defense Department (DOD) and referred to the Navy, was sent to the Pentagon’s Office of General Counsel, “where they are providing a legal review and input,” a DOD official told The Hill on Thursday.
The Hill has reached out to Sen. Kelly’s office for comment. The Arizona senator retired from the Navy with the rank of captain and has deployed twice to the Arabian Gulf. He has also worked as an instructor at the Naval Pilot School.
The Pentagon said in late November that it had received “serious allegations of misconduct” against Kelly and had kick-started a “thorough review” of the allegations.
The investigation came days after Kelly, along with five other Democrats, all of whom have either military or intelligence backgrounds, reminded U.S. service members in a joint video to disobey any illegal orders issued by the Trump administration. The lawmakers did not specify which illegal orders the Trump administration may have given to U.S. troops.
A day later, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to complete the review and send it back to the Pentagon by Dec. 10.
Apart from Kelly, the video, which prompted blowback from GOP lawmakers and President Trump, also featured Sen. Elissa Slotkin (Mich.) and Reps. Chris Deluzio (Pa.), Maggie Goodlander (N.H.), Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.) and Jason Crow (Colo.).
Kelly has fired back since the probe started, saying the investigation is meant to “intimidate” himself and other members and that it “won’t work.”
“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.
All 12 Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee, with the exception of Kelly, expressed their “serious concerns” this week to Navy Secretary John Phelan over the review and asked the service branch to drop the probe.
“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,” Hegseth previously said.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5645071-kelly-democrats-video-illegal-orders/
