Hegseth's 2016 Warning on Military Nukes in Response to Trump's Attack on Democrats

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing scrutiny for his decision to potentially court-martial Democratic Senator and military veteran Mark Kelly, despite Kelly repeating statements nearly identical to ones Hegseth made himself nearly a decade ago.

On Tuesday, Kelly shared a clip from 2016 when Hegseth, then a Fox News anchor, addressed the issue of soldiers following orders. Hegseth stated: I do think there have to be consequences for abject war crimes. If youre doing something that is just completely unlawful and ruthless, then there is a consequence for that. Thats why the military said it wont follow unlawful orders from their commander in chief.

Kelly commented on the apparent hypocrisy, noting that Hegseth is now threatening him for reiterating the same point. Pete Hegseth says hes going to court-martial me for saying the same exact thing he said 9 years ago. What changed for Pete? Well, he now spends all day thinking about how he can please the president, Kelly wrote on social media.

The statements Kelly made recently were part of a video featuring him and five other Democratic lawmakers and military and intelligence veterans. They highlighted concerns that this administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens and reaffirmed that our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders.

The video prompted President Trump to label the group the seditious six, while Hegseth criticized their message, calling it despicable, reckless, and false and claiming it undermines good order and discipline. He also stated that Kelly, as a retired Navy Commander, remains subject to military law, and that Kellys conduct brings discredit upon the armed forces and will be addressed appropriately.

Observers point out the clear contradiction: Hegseth once expressed the same principle Kelly and others did, yet now condemns it. Analysts argue the shift stems from Hegseths allegiance to the president rather than any change in the substance of the message.

Kelly responded to CNN, saying, I think hes correct, and its exactly what we said. But when we said it, Pete Hegseth now says what we said was false and reckless. What has changed is we have an unqualified Secretary of Defense who only cares about loyalty to this president. Thats the difference.

Author: Connor Blake