Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired U.S. Navy pilot of Arizona, is now being investigated by Pentagon officials for something clearly forbidden in the Trump administration: Telling people they should follow the law.

Kelly joined five other Democratic lawmakers who have served in either the military or the intelligence services in a recent video reminding U.S. troops that they can refuse illegal orders, as their oath is to the Constitution.

President Donald Trump, noted law-and-Constitution-ignorer and president of the United States, didn’t take kindly to Kelly and Co.’s reminder, accusing them of sedition and saying it is “punishable by DEATH.”

Hegseth brands Kelly and other Democrats 'the Seditious Six'

War Secretary and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth posted on social media Nov. 24: “The video made by the ‘Seditious Six’ was despicable, reckless, and false. Encouraging our warriors to ignore the orders of their Commanders undermines every aspect of ‘good order and discipline.’ ”

Hegseth, head of what's formally known as the Department of Defense, also reposted a Pentagon statement about the investigation into Kelly that noted it “may include recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures.”

Huzzah! It’s high time military veterans who share accurate information about how soldiers are supposed to behave get court-martialed for their insolence.

Telling people to obey the law is a crime in the Trump administration

It’s not like there’s a large plaque at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, titled “Loyalty to the Constitution” that specifically says: “Our American Code of Military Obedience requires that, should orders and the law ever conflict, our officers must obey the law.”

And it’s not like Trump himself, on Nov. 23, posted a photo of that very plaque on his Truth Social account, apparently thinking it was a sick burn against the “Seditious Six” and flaunting his patriotic unwillingness to read things and comprehend them.

OK, the West Point plaque is real and the president did post a photo if it, but the whole “obey the law” thing predates the Trump administration, which has staked out a very clear position on not obeying the law. Kelly and the other “honor your oath” scolds in the Democratic Party need to get with the times.

The chance of soldiers getting illegal orders is higher than ever

This is an age when U.S. soldiers are being ordered to bomb alleged drug boats in international waters. Is the legal basis for those strikes shaky at best? Absolutely. So any attempt to tell those soldiers to defy illegal orders could put Trump’s whole “bomb boats at will” policy in jeopardy. And I’m pretty sure not letting a president bomb boats and vaporize the occasional fisherman is sedition … or something.

The president has also dispatched U.S. soldiers onto the streets of American cities. Could they be asked to do something honorably unlawful? Certainly. Do we want veterans out there telling them there’s nothing honorable about breaking the law? Of course not. That would limit Trump’s power and could throw a real wrench in his plans to do whatever he wants.

This all makes perfect sense if you don’t think about it and stare lovingly at an AI-generated photo of Trump riding an eagle while waving a machine gun and an American flag.

Trump and Hegseth aren't intimidating anyone with their nonsense

Kelly responded to the Pentagon investigation via a statement Nov. 24: “If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work. I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”

Wow. I don’t know where this retired Navy captain and former astronaut gets off thinking he has the moral high ground over a bunch of people who enjoy breaking the law pretty much all the time. Get with the program, buddy.

Maybe a court-martial is needed to get folks like Kelly to recognize who’s making the rules in Trump’s America.

And let’s get that West Point “Loyalty to the Constitution” thing taken down ASAP. I’m pretty sure this administration’s Department of Justice can gin up a legal justification for court-martialing a plaque.

Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kelly, Democrats commit crime under Trump: Telling the truth | Opinion

Reporting by Rex Huppke, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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