U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) appears to be like on at a press convention calling for the discharge of the Epstein recordsdata, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 18, 2025. Image taken November 18, 2025.
Annabelle Gordon | Reuters
The FBI plans to interview Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and 5 different congressional Democrats in reference to their look in a video encouraging members of the U.S. navy to refuse to comply with unlawful orders, in response to stories Tuesday.
The FBI contacted Capitol Police to schedule these interviews, NBC Information reported, citing an individual accustomed to these efforts.
President Donald Trump final week blasted the video, accusing Kelly and the opposite lawmakers of “seditious habits,” calling them “traitors,” and saying that, “Within the previous days, if you happen to stated a factor like that, that was punishable by demise.”
The opposite lawmakers on the video have been Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, in addition to Home Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, and Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan, each of Pennsylvania.
Fox Information first reported on the FBI’s efforts.
Earlier Tuesday, Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out on-line over Kelly’s show of his U.S. Navy medals after the Pentagon started investigating him for encouraging service members to refuse to obey illegal orders.
“So ‘Captain’ Kelly, not solely did your sedition video deliberately undercut good order & self-discipline … however you may’t even show your uniform appropriately,” Hegseth snapped in a submit on X, which replied to a tweet by Kelly exhibiting his medals.
“Your medals are out of order & rows reversed. When/in case you are recalled to energetic obligation, it will begin with a uniform inspection,” stated Hegseth, a former Fox Information host and a former main within the Military Nationwide Guard.
The Pentagon on Monday stated it was investigating “severe allegations of misconduct” in opposition to Kelly, who’s a retired Navy captain, for his function within the video.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) navy uniform.
Supply: @SenMarkKelly | X
The Pentagon stated Kelly could possibly be recalled to energetic navy obligation and face a attainable court-martial for potential violations of the Uniform Code of Navy Justice.
The UCMJ requires service members to obey “any lawful basic order or regulation.”
Kelly, in response Monday, posted on X an announcement saying that the Pentagon’s probe “will not work” if “that is meant to intimidate me and different members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable.”
His submit additionally included a close-up picture of Kelly in his Naval uniform, exhibiting the medals on the shirt’s breast pocket.
“Our legal guidelines are clear: you may refuse unlawful orders,” Kelly stated on the video, which was tweeted on Nov. 18 by Slotkin of Michigan, a former CIA analyst.
Slotkin wrote in her tweet: “We need to communicate on to members of the Navy and the Intelligence Group. The American folks want you to face up for our legal guidelines and our Structure. Do not surrender the ship.”
The video was made because the U.S. navy, underneath Trump, has carried out greater than 20 airstrikes on boats within the Caribbean and japanese Pacific Ocean in opposition to purported drug smugglers, killing scores of individuals on these vessels.
The legality of these strikes, which have been made with out congressional authorization, has been questioned.
On Monday, a gaggle of Democratic senators, together with Kelly and Slotkin, wrote Hegseth and Lawyer Normal Pam Bondi to request that they declassify a Division of Justice Workplace of Authorized Counsel’s written opinion from September on the home and worldwide authorized foundation for the strikes.
FBI Director Kash Patel, speaks throughout a press convention associated to arrests of NBA gamers and coaches for unlawful playing schemes, on the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace in Brooklyn, New York, October 23, 2025.
Eduardo Munoz | Reuters
“Few choices are extra consequential for a democracy than using deadly pressure,” the letter stated.
“We due to this fact consider that the declassification and public launch of this necessary doc would improve transparency in using lethal pressure by our Nation’s navy and is critical to make sure Congress and the American individuals are totally knowledgeable of the authorized justification supporting these strikes,” it stated.
