美国国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯(Pete Hegseth)周一指责民主党参议员马克·凯利“行为具有煽动性”，他指的是凯利参与的一个视频11月，该组织告诉美国军人，他们有权拒绝非法命令。
Hegseth写道，凯利作为海军上尉退休，并因其20多年的服务而获得退休福利，他在视频中“建议武装部队成员拒绝合法命令”。凯利和其他参与视频的人对这一说法提出了质疑。
行政诉讼，这是一个不像军事法庭那么严重的行动，将导致降低级别和凯利的退休金，赫格塞斯说，这个过程将需要45天。
A军事法庭将会更加复杂，专家称可能会引发宪法问题。
谴责信说，凯利和其他民主党人发布的视频，以及凯利在发布后发表的声明“破坏了指挥链;对职责产生混淆;给军队带来耻辱;这是不符合军官身份行为
“从整体上看，你的行为模式表明你有劝告军人拒绝合法命令的特定意图。这种模式表明，你没有提供抽象的法律教育，关于拒绝明显非法的命令的责任。信中写道:“你特别建议军人拒绝你认为是非法的特定手术。”。
“我在此正式谴责你有损军队良好秩序和纪律的行为，以及与军官身份不符的行为，”信中写道。
这封信还警告凯利不要从事“有损良好秩序和纪律”的行为，并警告这位参议员可能“使自己受到刑事起诉”或进一步的行政措施。"
“你作为现任美国参议员的身份并不能免除你对破坏我们军队良好秩序和纪律的行为的责任，”信中写道。
凯利和其他五名参与11月针对军人的视频的民主党人辩护说，他们的信息符合《军事司法统一法典》和宪法。
该视频引发了唐纳德·特朗普总统的激烈批评称之为“煽动行为”并表示，涉案的民主党人——他们曾在军队或情报部门任职——应该“入狱”
五角大楼随后对凯利展开了所谓的“彻底审查”。亚利桑那州参议员当时说他不会被政府吓倒。
凯利周一表示，他将对抗黑格斯的处罚。
“皮特·海格塞斯希望向每一位退休军人传达这样一个信息，如果他们说了他或唐纳德·特朗普不喜欢的话，他们会以同样的方式追杀他们，”凯利在一份冗长的声明中说。
“这是令人愤慨的，也是错误的。没有比这更不美国的了。如果美国历史上最不合格的国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯认为他可以用责难或威胁来威胁我，让我降级或起诉我，那他还是不明白。我会尽我所能与之抗争-不是为了我自己，而是为了传达一个信息，即皮特·海格塞斯和唐纳德·特朗普不能决定这个国家的美国人对他们的政府说些什么，”凯利补充道。
Hegseth censures Sen. Mark Kelly over video about unlawful orders
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday censured Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly for "conduct [that] was seditious in nature," referring toa video Kelly participated inin November that told United States service members they have a right to refuse unlawful orders.
Hegseth wrote that Kelly, who retired as a Navy captain and receives retirement benefits for his more than 20 years of service, "counseled members of the Armed Forces to refuse lawful orders" in the video. Kelly and others who participated in the video have disputed that claim.
The administrative action, which is a less serious action than a court-martial, will result in a reduction in rank and Kelly's retirement pay, a process Hegseth says will take 45 days.
Acourt-martial would have been more complicated and experts say could have raised constitutional issues.
The censure letter says the video released by Kelly and other Democrats, along with statements Kelly made after its release "Undermines the Chain of Command; Creates Confusion About Duty; Brings Discredit Upon the Armed Forces; and Is Conduct Unbecoming an Officer."
"When viewed in totality, your pattern of conduct demonstrates specific intent to counsel servicemembers to refuse lawful orders. This pattern demonstrates that you were not providing abstract legal education about the duty to refuse patently illegal orders. You were specifically counseling servicemembers to refuse particular operations that you have characterized as illegal," the letter states.
"I hereby formally CENSURE you for conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline in the armed forces and conduct unbecoming an officer," the letter reads.
The letter also warns Kelly against engaging in conduct "prejudicial to good order and discipline," warning that the Senator may "subject yourself to criminal prosecutionor further administrative action."
"Your status as a sitting United States Senator does not exempt you from accountability for conduct that undermines good order and discipline in our Armed Forces," the letter reads.
Kelly and the other five Democrats involved in the November video directed at military members have defended their message as being in line with the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Constitution.
The video prompted fierce criticism from President Donald Trump, whocalled it "seditious behavior"and said the Democrats involved -- who previously served in the military or in the intelligence community -- should be "in jail."
The Pentagon then launched what it called a "thorough review" into Kelly. The Arizona senatorsaid at the timehe would not be intimidated by the administration.
Kelly said Monday he will fight punishment from Hegseth.
"Pete Hegseth wants to send the message to every single retired servicemember that if they say something he or Donald Trump doesn’t like, they will come after them the same way,"Kelly said in a lengthy statement.
"It’s outrageous and it is wrong. There is nothing more un-American than that. If Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in our country’s history, thinks he can intimidate me with a censure or threats to demote me or prosecute me, he still doesn’t get it.I will fight this with everything I’ve got-- not for myself, but to send a message back that Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump don’t get to decide what Americans in this country get to say about their government," Kelly added.
