WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona, on Monday filed a lawsuit against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to block the secretary's efforts to cut his rank and pay as a veteran.
In November 2025, when Kelly, a retired Navy Captain, and five other Members of Congress released a video urging service members to refuse unlawful orders, President Donald Trump and Hegseth publicly branded his statements as "sedition" and "treason," and warned that there would be consequences.
At Hegseth's direction, the Department of the Navy initiated proceedings to "reconsider" the rank and pay at which the Senator retired nearly 15 years ago, the complaint said.
"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," said Hegseth in a post on the social platform X on Jan. 5.
Hegseth said that the video released by Kelly and five other members of Congress was "reckless and seditious," and was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline.
Actions of Hegseth and the Defense Department violate numerous constitutional guarantees and have no basis in statute, according to Kelly's complaint, which highlighted the principles of the First Amendment, the separation of powers, and due process. ■