Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly on Monday repeatedly said he would not be silenced by President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth even after the Department of Defense announced last week that it would be launching a “thorough review” of Kelly citing “serious allegations of misconduct.”
“I will not be intimidated by this president. I am not going to be silenced by this president or the people around because I’ve given too much in service to this country to back down to 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 where they said that U.S. service members could refuse illegal orders.
Sen. Mark Kelly holds a press conference at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., Dec. 1, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Kelly slammed Hegseth, calling him “unqualified for this position” and saying Hegseth should testify concerning the boat strikes in the Caribbean Sea where two survivors were allegedly killed after a second strike was authorized on a boat suspected of ferrying drugs in September.
The White House confirmed there was more than one strike on the boat. One person familiar with details of the incident confirmed to ABC News that there were survivors from the initial strike on the boat and that those survivors were killed in subsequent strikes.
Kelly, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said there “needs to be an investigation” into the strikes following reporting from the Washington Post that Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill survivors with a second strike. Kelly added that “if there is anyone who needs to answer questions in public and under oath, it is Pete Hegseth.”
“I hope what we are hearing is not … accurate. I will say, though you know as somebody who has sunk two ships myself, that folks 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 there were, in fact, as reported, you know, survivors clinging to a damaged vessel, that that could be, you know, over a line. I hope it’s not the case,” Kelly said.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a press conference at the Dominican National Palace in Santo Domingo, Nov. 26, 2025.
Felix Leon/AFP via Getty Images
When asked about a Washington Post report that Hegseth ordered the military to kill all passengers aboard the boat suspected of carrying drugs, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Adm. Mitch Bradley, the head of the United States Special Operations Command, made the order for the second strike.
“Adm. Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was completely eliminated,” Leavitt said Monday.
Asked by ABC News whether the video he posted on social media telling military members that they can disobey illegal orders was about strikes in the Caribbean, Kelly said it was “not about this specific thing.”
But Kelly did say that he hopes the American people are given an opportunity to see the legal argument behind the strikes that lawmakers were presented 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 that the president’s is meant to silence individuals who may want to stand up to him.
“This isn’t about me and it’s not about the others in that video, they’re trying to send a message to retired service members, to government employees, the members of the military, to elected officials and to all Americans who are thinking about speaking up, ‘You better keep your mouth shut, or else,'” Kelly said.
Kelly was asked whether he would participate in interviews with the FBI or Defense Department if one was requested as part of an investigation.
“I will follow the law,” he said.
Kelly noted the wave of political violence in America, highlighting the attack against his wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, and targeted attacks against the Trump himself. Trump, he said, should be doing more to cool tensions rather than inflame them.
“The president’s words carry tremendous weight. People listen to him, and he knows that, and that’s exactly why he does what he does,” Kelly claimed.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story said that the White House confirmed there were survivors from a first strike on the alleged drug boat and they were killed in a second strike. It has been updated to say that press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed there was more than one strike on the boat.
