Sen. Kelly says Pete Hegseth ‘unqualified’ after being bashed over display of medals

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., blasted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Tuesday, calling him unqualified and saying he just wants to please President Donald Trump.

The comments came after Hegseth asked the Navy secretary to review Kelly’s comments in a video to troops for “potentially unlawful conduct,” according to a memo posted on social media by the Pentagon.

The Arizona senator was one of six Democrats featured in a video last week addressed to military members telling them they don’t have to follow illegal orders.

MORE: Hegseth orders Navy to review Sen. Kelly for ‘potentially unlawful conduct’

“The threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here right at home. Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders,” the group said. “No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.”

The video sparked a firestorm, with President Donald Trump accusing the lawmakers of sedition and saying they should face consequences. In postings on X, Hegseth blasted Kelly for alleged “serious allegations of misconduct” and threatened with a court-martial, calling the video “a politically motivated influence operation.”

The Department of Defense on Monday said it is launching a “thorough review” into Kelly, citing “serious allegations of misconduct.”

Meanwhile, Kelly told Kimmel that the president and his administration’s reaction sows fear, calling it an example of “how democracies die.”

“It is right out of the playbook, you know, the playbook of authoritarianism. That’s what they do. They try to suppress speech,” Kelly said. “Every one of us has First Amendment speech rights, and I think the president is infringing on those and he is sending, he is sending a pretty strong message. You do not want to cross him, and your loyalty should be to him. It should not. It should always be to the Constitution.”

MORE: Democrats defend message to troops as Trump, officials suggest they be punished

Kelly said that Hegseth is “totally unqualified” for the job and that “he just wants to please the president.”

“He can go after me under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which is law in the military, which is kind of wild, because we recited something in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and he’s going to prosecute me under the Uniform Code of Military Justice,” Kelly said. “It is so ridiculous, it’s almost like you can’t make this s— up.”

Kelly also told Kimmel how he found out that Trump first reacted to the video with the post, detailing that he was with Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., when a staffer interrupted their briefing and slid her a piece of paper.

“So somebody comes in in the middle of our brief, slips her piece of paper and I take a look at the piece of paper, and it says, ‘The president is calling for your execution’ — to her, to Elissa, so she, she looks at me, she gets up, she walks out,” Kelly said. “About five minutes later, she comes back in, looks at me and says, ‘Well, he’s calling for your execution too.’ So I wasn’t off the hook.”

MORE: Trump calls Dems’ video to service members ‘seditious behavior, punishable by death’

Hegseth bashed the Arizona senator earlier this week, accusing him of incorrectly wearing his military medals.

“So ‘Captain’ Kelly, not only did your sedition video intentionally undercut good order & discipline…but you can’t even display your uniform properly,” Hegseth said in a post shared on X on Tuesday.

Hegseth’s post was in response to Kelly’s statement on Monday regarding the Pentagon’s alleged review, which included a photo of his military medals.

“Your medals are out of order & rows reversed. When/if you are recalled to active duty, it’ll start with a uniform inspection,” Hegseth added.

MORE: Pentagon launches ‘thorough review’ into Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly over video to troops

“The military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. It does not need political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command,” Hegseth said on Tuesday.

All military officers who have retired after 20 years of service are able to be recalled to active duty, and if they are determined to have engaged in misconduct, they are subject to military prosecution — potentially a court-martial.

Kelly served for 25 years in the Navy and at NASA, retiring in 2011.

The code referenced by the Defense Department could subject Kelly to an “administrative measure,” which could include a reduction in rank — and a reduction in his pension entitlement.

“That is not how our democracy works, and we cannot go down that slippery slope,” said Kelly.