Republican senators warn Hegseth against going after Sen. Mark Kelly over video

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Two Republican senators cautioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against going after Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly to punish him for making a video with other senators where they urged military members not to follow unlawful orders.

The GOP senators who warned Hegseth are Susan Collins (Maine) and Thom Tillis (North Carolina), according to The Hill newspaper.

Kelly was censured by the Pentagon which Tillis said was “ridiculous,” but he did criticize the Arizona Democrat.

“That video was rage bait but my gosh, he is a U.S. senator who operates in a political world,” Tillis said, according to HuffPost reporter Igor Bobic.

Hegseth announced on Monday that he was taking steps to demote Kelly and cut his pension in half over the video.

“As a retired Navy Captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice. And the Department of War — and the American people — expect justice,” Hegseth wrote on X.

He said that he issued a formal Letter of Censure.

Collins said that it wasn’t appropriate to go after Kelly’s pension.

Kelly is a retired Navy captain who flew 39 combat missions and was also an astronaut who went on four space missions.