Report: Sen. Mark Kelly under DoD investigation

November 24, 2025

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a former U.S. Navy pilot and NASA astronaut, is under investigation by the Department of Defense for allegedly interfering with morale and discipline in the armed forces, according to the Associated Press. The investigation, says AP, stems from a video Sen. Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers made on 18 Nov. advising troops they do not have to obey illegal orders from their superiors.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in Mar. 2025 at a Punchbowl News event in Washington, D.C. Photo by Alan Kotok and available from the TechNewsLit portfolio at the Alamy photo agency.

Joining Kelly in the 90-second video are Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA), and Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), all military or intelligence service veterans. The video drew angry responses from President Trump, calling for the lawmakers’ arrest, trial, and death.

AP says Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted on his X account that Kelly formally retired from military service, which makes the senator eligible for recall to active duty, and thus still under DoD jurisdiction. The DoD statement, also posted on X, says it can investigate military retirees who “interfere with the loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces.”

TechNewsLit photographed Kelly in Mar. 2025 with Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) at a Punchbowl News event, in Washington, D.C. We also photographed Slotkin at an Axios program in July 2025 and at Center for American Progress in June 2025. In addition, TechNewsLit photographed Crow at Center for American Progress in Oct. 2025. All of those images are available exclusively in the D.C. Notables collection, part of the TechNewsLit portfolio at the Alamy photo agency.