Democratic Arizona Senator Mark Kelly has slammed President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the use of lethal strikes against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Speaking on MS NOW’s The Weekend this Sunday, the 61-year-old said that he would continue to speak out against these ‘war crimes’ even if the president attempts to ‘execute’ him.
“They are not silencing me. I’m still speaking out. I still am going to do my job every single day, regardless of whether this president wants to kill me, hang me, execute me, or shut me up. I’m not gonna shut up,” he said.
Thank you, Arizona. pic.twitter.com/MKmCOGqsZx
— Captain Mark Kelly (@CaptMarkKelly) November 12, 2022
These comments come days after the U.S military, on December 4, confirmed that it killed four men in a strike on a suspected drug vessel in international waters in the Eastern Pacific. This was reportedly a part of Trump’s attempts at escalating his hardline approach to suspected drug boats.
Kelly has criticized the Trump administration in connection with such incidents in the past, too. A few weeks ago, the decorated Navy Captain and five other Democratic lawmakers from a military background had urged United States service members to ignore any ‘illegal orders’.
“This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens. Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution.
Right now, the threats to our constitution aren’t just coming from abroad but right here at home,” they said in the video.
Soon after, the Washington Post reported that Hegseth had instructed U.S. naval forces to ‘kill everyone’ in a strike on a boat that was allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea on September. 2.
This marked the first time the U.S. military attacked a boat in connection with drug trafficking. Given its sensitive nature, the general military strategy surrounding it soon came under scrutiny.
Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley defended Hegseth, stating that he did not issue the ‘kill them all’ order, but Democratic lawmakers alleged that the military carried out the mission with the sole aim of killing all 11 people on board and destroying the drugs.
In light of these events, the video paved the way for a major controversy with Trump accusing the lawmakers of ‘sedition punishable by death’.
Hegseth too lashed out at Kelly. He said that the senator will face an investigation, as he has retired from military service and is under the Pentagon’s jurisdiction. The Defense Secretary also threatened to call him back to the military to face a court-martial. However, legal experts have their reservations about this.
Federal law does not permit a sitting member of Congress to be an active member of the military.
Kelly responded to Hegseth’s threats by calling him a ‘12-year-old playing army’. He also called his actions ‘ludicrous’.
🚨HOLY COW: Sen. Mark Kelly just OBLITERATED Pete Hegseth – and by extension Trump himself – with one of the most brutal takedowns yet.
Kelly says Trump put a man in charge of the Pentagon who “runs around on a stage like he’s a 12-year-old playing army.” A guy so unserious, so… pic.twitter.com/Tdz4lzuxYw
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) December 1, 2025
And his latest blast at the president is only throwing gasoline on the fire. So, will there be any repercussions? Only time will tell!
