Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly repeatedly said Monday that he would not be silenced by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, even after the Defense Department announced last week that it would launch a “comprehensive review” of Kelly citing “serious allegations of misconduct.”
“I’m not going to be intimidated by this president. I’m not going to be silenced by this president or the people around me because I’ve given too much in service to this country to back down from this guy.” Kelly said at a news conference Monday afternoon.
It comes after Kelly and several other Democrats last month posted a video on social media in which they said U.S. service members could refuse illegal orders.
Senator Mark Kelly holds a press conference at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on December 1, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Kelly sharply criticized Hegseth, calling him “unqualified for this position” and saying Hegseth should testify about the ship attacks in the Caribbean Sea, where two survivors allegedly died after a second attack on a suspected drug ship was authorized in September.
The White House confirmed that there was more than one attack on the ship. A person familiar with the details of the incident confirmed to ABC News that there were survivors of the initial attack on the ship and that those survivors were killed in subsequent attacks.
Kelly, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said “there needs to be an investigation” into the attacks after the Washington Post reported that Hegseth had issued a verbal order to kill survivors with a second attack. Kelly added that “if there’s anyone who needs to answer questions publicly and under oath, it’s Pete Hegseth.”
“I hope that what we’re hearing is not…accurate. I will say, although you know I sunk two ships myself, that people in the military need to understand, you know, the Law of the Sea, the Geneva Conventions, what the law says. And I’m concerned that if, in fact, as reported, there were survivors clinging to a damaged ship, that could be, you know, over a line. I hope that’s not the case,” Kelly said.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a press conference at the National Palace of the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo, November 26, 2025.
Félix León/AFP via Getty Images
Asked about a Washington Post report that Hegseth ordered the military to kill all passengers aboard the ship suspected of carrying drugs, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Adm. Mitch Bradley, head of the U.S. Special Operations Command, gave the order for the second strike.
“Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, leading the engagement to ensure that the ship was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was completely eliminated,” Leavitt said Monday.
When asked by ABC News if the video he posted on social media telling the military they can disobey illegal orders referred to attacks in the Caribbean, Kelly said it was “not about anything specific.”
But Kelly said he hopes the American people get a chance to see the legal argument behind the attacks that were presented to lawmakers during closed-door briefings.
In response to the Democrats’ video, Trump, in social media posts, called them “traitors” who should face the death penalty.
Kelly said the president’s intention is to silence people who want to confront him.
“This is not about me or the others in that video, they are trying to send a message to retired military personnel, government employees, members of the military, elected officials and all Americans who are thinking about speaking out: ‘You better keep your mouth shut, or else,'” Kelly said.
Kelly was asked if he would participate in interviews with the FBI or the Department of Defense if one were requested as part of an investigation.
“I will follow the law,” he said.
Kelly highlighted the wave of political violence in the United States, highlighting the attack against his wife, former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, and the attacks directed at Trump himself. Trump, he said, should do more to cool tensions rather than inflame them.
“The president’s words carry tremendous weight. People listen to him and he knows it, and that’s exactly why he does what he does,” Kelly said.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story said the White House confirmed that there were survivors of a first attack on the suspected drug ship and that they died in a second attack. Updated to say press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed there was more than one strike on the ship.
