US Senate Democrat Mark Kelly has vowed not to back down amid a Pentagon investigation into claims he broke military law by appearing in a video urging troops to defy "illegal orders". Kelly, who is also a Navy veteran, made the comments while appearing on Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show on Tuesday.
When asked about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's plans to prosecute him under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Kelly slammed the move as "ridiculous" and said he would not be intimidated. He also criticized Trump for accusing him and five other Democratic members of Congress of sedition, saying their behavior is "punishable by death".
Kelly also called out Trump's recent attacks on Republicans who have left their posts, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, saying that this behavior was a sign of the president's own instability. The senator claimed that Trump had previously said he wanted to stop political violence but did not take action when he had the opportunity.
The Pentagon investigation into Kelly follows an FBI probe into his involvement in the video, which was posted on social media last month. Kelly has denied any wrongdoing and claims that his actions were protected under the First Amendment.
In a surprise move, the former director of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia, Pete Skandalakis, announced yesterday that he would not be pursuing charges against Trump or Republican electors accused of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
As the US heads into its Thanksgiving break, lawmakers will return next week with a range of pressing issues on their agendas. The Senate will vote on several bills aimed at addressing climate change and racial equity, while the House will consider legislation related to immigration and gun control.
The Kremlin has confirmed that Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy, will return to Moscow next week in an effort to secure a peace deal with Ukraine. However, his visit comes after a report emerged of Witkoff coaching Russian officials on how to appeal to Trump.
Donald Trump has defended Witkoff and claimed that the leaked recordings were "standard negotiating procedure". The deal, as it stands, appears to have been revised in line with Ukrainian and European demands following US-Ukraine talks in Geneva last week. However, several key issues remain outstanding, including Zelenskyy's request for a meeting with Trump.
In related news, former House speaker Kevin McCarthy has warned that the GOP faces significant challenges ahead of the midterms next year, citing several retirements among its ranks. Marjorie Taylor Greene's departure has been seen as a sign of trouble for the party, which is already facing an uphill battle to hold onto its slim House majority.
In other news, CNN reports that the mother of Karoline Leavitt's 11-year-old nephew is in ICE custody after being arrested earlier this month. Bruna Caroline Ferreira, a Brazilian native, had been living in the US without documentation since 1999 and was on her way to pick up her son when she was detained.
Trump has taken to social media to blast the New York Times for its reporting on his health, calling it a "hit piece" from a "cheap rag". The president's comments come amid growing concerns about his physical and mental fitness for office.
When asked about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's plans to prosecute him under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Kelly slammed the move as "ridiculous" and said he would not be intimidated. He also criticized Trump for accusing him and five other Democratic members of Congress of sedition, saying their behavior is "punishable by death".
Kelly also called out Trump's recent attacks on Republicans who have left their posts, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, saying that this behavior was a sign of the president's own instability. The senator claimed that Trump had previously said he wanted to stop political violence but did not take action when he had the opportunity.
The Pentagon investigation into Kelly follows an FBI probe into his involvement in the video, which was posted on social media last month. Kelly has denied any wrongdoing and claims that his actions were protected under the First Amendment.
In a surprise move, the former director of the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia, Pete Skandalakis, announced yesterday that he would not be pursuing charges against Trump or Republican electors accused of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
As the US heads into its Thanksgiving break, lawmakers will return next week with a range of pressing issues on their agendas. The Senate will vote on several bills aimed at addressing climate change and racial equity, while the House will consider legislation related to immigration and gun control.
The Kremlin has confirmed that Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy, will return to Moscow next week in an effort to secure a peace deal with Ukraine. However, his visit comes after a report emerged of Witkoff coaching Russian officials on how to appeal to Trump.
Donald Trump has defended Witkoff and claimed that the leaked recordings were "standard negotiating procedure". The deal, as it stands, appears to have been revised in line with Ukrainian and European demands following US-Ukraine talks in Geneva last week. However, several key issues remain outstanding, including Zelenskyy's request for a meeting with Trump.
In related news, former House speaker Kevin McCarthy has warned that the GOP faces significant challenges ahead of the midterms next year, citing several retirements among its ranks. Marjorie Taylor Greene's departure has been seen as a sign of trouble for the party, which is already facing an uphill battle to hold onto its slim House majority.
In other news, CNN reports that the mother of Karoline Leavitt's 11-year-old nephew is in ICE custody after being arrested earlier this month. Bruna Caroline Ferreira, a Brazilian native, had been living in the US without documentation since 1999 and was on her way to pick up her son when she was detained.
Trump has taken to social media to blast the New York Times for its reporting on his health, calling it a "hit piece" from a "cheap rag". The president's comments come amid growing concerns about his physical and mental fitness for office.
. So Mark Kelly is saying that Trump's threatening to prosecute him under the military justice system for speaking out against what he thinks are illegitimate orders? That sounds like a huge overreach to me 
. I mean, come on, Kelly's just trying to do his job and represent the people who elected him - shouldn't he be able to speak his mind without fear of reprisal? 
. It's like, if you're going to take a stand, at least have the decency to be consistent about it.
.
if anyone should be prosecuted it's trump and his crew for sedition or whatever lol and omg bruna caroline ferreira is literally going through hell being stuck in ice custody who even gets detained on their way to pick up their kid 
as a navy vet himself, he knows what it means to be part of the military family, and it's not cool that trump is trying to prosecute him over something that seems like a pretty clear case of free speech 
. i mean, come on, trump can't just go around accusing people of sedition and then try to silence them with investigations and prosecution 
. kelly's right to speak out against the orders he disagreed with is protected by the 1st amendment, period 
. and btw, this whole thing is just another example of why we need more accountability in our government 
. And can we talk about how messed up it is that Marjorie Taylor Greene has left the GOP? 
like what even happened to her party in the first place... and now they have to deal with losing more reps and its just gonna make things harder for them...
i mean come on, if trump can say whatever he wants without consequences, why should Kelly be held accountable? this whole thing is just a joke, and trump's trying to silence anyone who disagrees with him. it's so sad that trump's behavior is actually giving the rest of us a bad reputation 
and the lack of action from trump when he had the chance to stop political violence is just plain weird 
.
again, trying to get a peace deal done 
... meanwhile Kelly is over here being super brave and standing up for his values 
. I'm also low-key excited about the Senate bills on climate change and racial equity - let's do this America! 
And can we talk about how crazy Bruna Caroline Ferreira's situation is? Being in ICE custody after just moving to the US... it's like, what even is that? 