After US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth escalated attacks by Trump administration chiefs against Arizona Senator Mark Kelly by ordering the US Secretary of the Navy to investigate "potentially illegal comments," the Democrat responded.

According to the Pentagon, the Arizona senator was one of six Democrats who appeared in a video last week addressed to military members telling them they do not have to follow illegal orders.

In the video, Kelly asserted that “Threats to our Constitution don’t just come from abroad, but also from right here in our country. Our laws are clear. Illegal orders can be refused. Nobody is obligated to follow orders that violate the law or our Constitution.”

In response, Kelly said that the reaction from the president and his administration sows fear, calling it an example of “how democracies die.”

“It’s a direct example, you know, “Of authoritarianism. That’s what they do. They try to suppress free speech,” Kelly said. “We all have a First Amendment right to free speech, and I think the president is infringing on that and sending a very strong message. It’s not wise to contradict him, and our loyalty should be to him. It shouldn’t be. It should always be to the Constitution.” Kelly said Hegseth is “completely unqualified” for the position and “just wants to please the president.”