The Arizona senator is facing criticism for a video he and other Democratic congressional members made.
Sen. Mark Kelly on Sunday appeared unconcerned by threats from President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, dismissing both as unserious people.
In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Kelly said the reaction to a video he and other veterans serving in Congress made is “ridiculous.”
“I said something very simple and noncontroversial, and Donald Trump said I should be hanged, executed, prosecuted. Pete Hegseth that I should be court-martialed,” the Arizona Democrat told host Kristen Welker. “How ridiculous is this? We say follow the law and this is their response. These are not serious people.”
Kelly, along with five other Democratic members of Congress who are all veterans, released a video earlier this month telling members of the military that they are obligated to refuse “illegal orders.”
Trump quickly responded, calling the video treasonous and demanding the members be arrested. In one post, he appeared to call for their deaths. The Pentagon last week announced it is investigating Kelly over “serious allegations of misconduct,” while Hegseth himself criticized the lawmaker on social media.
Kelly reiterated his remarks on Sunday, telling Welker that if service members are given illegal orders, “not only do they not have to follow them, they are legally required not to follow” the directions.
Still, in an interview with CNN on Sunday, Kelly said he has not been notified of an investigation from the Navy.
“I was notified about this through a tweet,” he said on “State of the Union.” The communication he received from the FBI, he added, mentioned coming in for an interview but had “no point of contact.”
“The thing we received from the FBI, just like the president said, saying that we should be hanged,” he said. “The thing we received from the FBI is more intimidation.”
When asked if he would cooperate with an investigation, Kelly said, “I’ll follow the law but I’m not going to be bullied, especially by Donald Trump.”