Mark Kelly tells Jon Stewart he has no intention of retracting comments from Hegseth
Sen. Mark Kelly told The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart that he is “not going to back down” despite the criticism.
A grand jury has rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to indict six Democratic congressmen who appeared in a video telling soldiers they had the right to disobey orders they thought were illegal.
Reuters reported on Tuesday, February 10, citing sources, that prosecutors sought to charge the lawmakers with violating federal laws that prohibit interfering with the loyalty, morale and discipline of the U.S. military. The prosecution was led by the office of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia.
Participants in the November video titled “Don’t Give Up the Ship” included Sens. Elyse Slotkin and Mark Kelly, as well as Reps. Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio, and Chrissy Houlahan. All six are U.S. military veterans.
Slotkin said in a statement on Tuesday, February 10, that the Justice Department’s decision to indict her was in response to her “producing a 90-second video that simply cited the law.” The controversial video reflected Democratic concerns about President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to U.S. cities and the legality of military attacks on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean.
The video sparked the ire of the Trump administration, with the president slamming the six members of Congress for “seditious behavior, worthy of the death penalty!” In real social. President Trump later addressed the post in an interview on Fox News Radio’s “The Brian Kilmeade Show,” saying he was not threatening to execute any members of Congress.
“Today, it was a grand jury of anonymous American citizens who upheld the rule of law and decided that this case should not proceed,” Slotkin said on TV’s “X.” “Regardless of what President Trump and Mr. Pirro continue to do in this case, tonight we can score a point for the Constitution, for free speech, and for the rule of law.”
The grand jury’s decision was first reported by NBC News and the New York Times.
USA TODAY reached out to the Justice Department regarding the charges on Tuesday, February 10, but did not immediately receive a response.
Senator Kerry: “It’s all because I said I didn’t like them.”
In a post on X, Kelly called the attempted prosecution an “outrageous abuse of power.” Last month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that he had formally reprimanded Kelly and demoted him to retirement following the video.
“It wasn’t enough that Pete Hegseth accused me and threatened to demote me. Now it looks like they tried to indict me for a crime, all because I said something they didn’t like,” Kelly said in the X post.
Other lawmakers who appeared in the video expressed similar sentiments.
“Today, America’s grand jury stood up to the president’s outrageous abuse of power and taxpayer dollars and respected the Constitution. Even in the face of threats, I will continue to do my job and uphold my oath to the Constitution,” Goodlander said on TV’s “X.”
“I will not be intimidated for one second by the Trump administration or Department of Justice lawyers who tried and failed to indict me today,” Delzio said on social media. “The tide is turning and accountability will be held,” Crowe added in a video statement.
Houlahan did not directly address whether he was the subject of a grand jury investigation, but shared NBC News’ coverage of the unsuccessful indictment, calling it a “win for all Americans.”
“This is good news for the Constitution and the freedom of speech it guarantees,” Houlahan said in a post on X.
Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts was one of several Senate Democrats posting on social media to comment on the administration’s failure to win charges, calling it a “failed coup.”
“The six goals were right all along: Don’t obey illegal orders,” Markey said. “Speak truth to power, because it wins.”
Contributions: George Petras, Stephen J. Beard, Alberto Cuadra, USA Today. Reuters
