Pentagon threatens to prosecute Senator Mark Kelly by recalling him to Navy service

The Pentagon threatened to recall U.S. Senator Mark Kelly , a retired Navy captain on Monday, to active duty status in order to prosecute him after what it described as seditious behavior by the former astronaut and decorated veteran.

Kelly, who denies any wrongdoing and who said in a statement he would not be intimidated, joined five other Democrats in Congress with backgrounds in the U.S. military and intelligence community to urge U.S. troops to refuse any illegal orders.

Kelly's 18 November video message came amid heightened concerns among Democrats, echoed privately by some U.S. military officials, that the Trump administration is violating the law by ordering the U.S. military to kill suspected drug traffickers in strikes on their vessels in Latin American waters.

The Pentagon says those strikes are justified because the drug smugglers are considered terrorists.

The Pentagon statement said it was reviewing "serious allegations of misconduct" against Kelly. While it did not say what charges Kelly could face if it took such an extraordinary step, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted remarks on X accusing Kelly and the other lawmakers of sedition.

"The video made by the 'Seditious Six' was despicable, reckless, and false," Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on X.

"Encouraging our warriors to ignore the orders of their Commanders undermines every aspect of 'good order and discipline.'"

President Donald Trump has also accused Kelly and the other Democrats of sedition, saying in a social media post that the crime was punishable by death.

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