“Is it stressful? I’ve been stressed by things more important than Trump trying to intimidate me into shutting my mouth,” Sen. Mark Kelly said.
Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly says President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about Democratic lawmakers — including amplifying a post suggesting they should face execution — is encouraging political violence against him.
In an interview with Rachel Maddow on MS Now, Kelly was asked whether the recent developments have caused him stress.
“I’ve had a missile blow up next to my airplane. I’ve been nearly shot down multiple times. I’ve flown a rocket ship into space four times built by the lowest bidder. And my wife, Gabby Giffords, meeting with her constituents, shot in the head. Six people killed around her, a horrific thing. She spent six months in the hospital. We know what political violence is and we know what causes it too. The statements that Donald Trump made incites others,” Kelly said.
He emphasized that Trump has “millions of supporters” and that “people listen to what he says,” arguing that the president “should be careful with his words.” Kelly added, “I’m not going to be silenced here. Is it stressful? I’ve been stressed by things more important than Trump trying to intimidate me into shutting my mouth.”
Trump had condemned the lawmakers who urged members of the military to refuse illegal orders, declaring that they engaged in “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” He also reposted a message calling on him to execute those lawmakers.
Kelly is now at the center of the controversy after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested he could face “court-martial proceedings or administrative measures.”
Hegseth claimed that “five of the six individuals in that video do not fall under @DeptofWar jurisdiction (one is CIA and four are former military but not ‘retired’, so they are no longer subject to UCMJ). However, Mark Kelly (retired Navy Commander) is still subject to UCMJ—and he knows that,” he said.
Kelly, who retired as a captain, said he first learned of the investigation from Hegseth’s post. “If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work,” he said. “I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”
The move has drawn criticism not only from Democrats but also from some Republicans, including Rep. Don Bacon.
“Amateur hour once again” at the Department of Defense, Bacon said in a social media post. “I thought the video by six Dems was unnecessary and foolish. But the threats of sedition charges and courts martial in response are also crazy. Let’s show some common sense and restraint,” he added.
