ICYMI: On State of the Union and Meet the Press, Kelly Pushes Back Against Trump Administration Efforts to Silence Him
“What he is doing is sending a very chilling message across our entire nation, not only in the military, but the civilian workforce…Why would anyone speak out if they can go and try to prosecute a U.S. senator?”
“He’s not going to stop me from speaking out and holding him accountable for the things that he does that are wrong and unlawful.”
In case you missed it, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly joined CNN’s State of the Union and NBC’s Meet the Press this morning to call out efforts by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to silence him for stating what the law says. Kelly made clear he will continue holding the administration accountable and won’t back down.
Watch the full State of the Union interview here and the full Meet the Press interview here. See key excerpts below:
From State of the Union, on the investigation…
“We said something very simple and non-controversial, and the President of the United States said, ‘Hang them. Execute them. Prosecute them.’ In my case, Secretary Hegseth said, ‘Prosecute him under the Uniform Code of Military Justice,’ for reciting the Uniform Code of Military Justice. It’s obviously ridiculous, but this is an attempt to silence me, to get me to not hold this administration accountable.
“We have a president who doesn’t understand the Constitution, who installed an unqualified Secretary of Defense. I cannot think of a Secretary of Defense in the history of our country that is less qualified than Pete Hegseth. He should not be in this position. He should have been fired after Signalgate.
“But, Dana, I’m not backing down. These guys don’t scare me. They’re not serious people. I mean, the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense. Neither of them.”
From State of the Union, on the dangers of attempting to punish dissent…
“What he is doing is sending a very chilling message across our entire nation, not only in the military, but the civilian workforce. Who’s going to speak up and say anything if they see something that’s unlawful or see something—waste, fraud, and abuse? Why would anyone speak out if they can go and prosecute a U.S. senator?
“I was notified about this through a tweet, the same tweet that you saw. And that demonstrates how unserious this administration is. They care more about the publicity about this than the process or the law. I haven’t been notified by the Navy.”
From Meet the Press, on refusing to be intimated by Trump and Hegseth…
“Pete Hegseth says that I should be court-martialed. I mean, how ridiculous is this? We say ‘follow the law,’ and this is their response. These are not serious people. And, Kristen, this is meant to just intimidate us. We’re sticking up for the Constitution here, and the rule of law, and they’re saying these folks should be executed for doing that.
“This president thinks he can bully and intimidate people. He’s not going to stop me from speaking out and holding him accountable for the things that he does that are wrong and unlawful. “Just like saying that we should be hanged, executed—that’s about intimidation. Sending the FBI after us—that’s further intimidation. I’ll follow the law, but I’m not going to be intimidated. I’m not going to be bullied. Especially by Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth.”
