War Secretary Pete Hegseth blasted six Democrat lawmakers for "sowing doubt" among U.S. service members, denouncing their video urging troops to defy orders from President Donald Trump as a "politically motivated influence operation."
In a post to X on Tuesday, Hegseth asserted that the "Seditious Six knew exactly what they were doing."
Sens. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and four other Democrats sparked controversy last week with a video urging military and intelligence personnel to ignore what they claimed were "illegal orders."
Hegseth on Tuesday said their instruction "carries a different weight inside the military," outlining their deceptive approach:
"-It never named a specific 'illegal order.'
-It created ambiguity rather than clarity.
-It used carefully scripted, legal-sounding language.
-It subtly reframed military obedience around partisan distrust instead of established legal processes."
"In the military, vague rhetoric and ambiguity undermines trust, creates hesitation in the chain of command, and erodes cohesion. The military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. It does not need political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command," Hegseth wrote.
Slotkin subsequently admitted that Trump has not issued any illegal orders to the military.
"As veterans of various sorts, the Seditious Six knew exactly what they were doing — sowing doubt through a politically motivated influence operation," Hegseth concluded.
Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., echoed that sentiment to Newsmax on Tuesday.
"What that video did, it potentially put in the minds of these young men and women who are in uniform ... doubt," Bergman said. "That's the opposite of what we do in training for a military operation. It's the confidence that enables our service members to succeed in battle."
The Department of War on Monday signaled that it's considering potential legal action against Kelly, a retired Navy combat pilot and former NASA astronaut.
"OFFICIAL STATEMENT: The Department of War has received serious allegations of misconduct against Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.)," it posted to X.
Kelly fired back, saying he wouldn't be intimidated.
"I've given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution," he said in a statement Monday.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.