What’s the old expression? Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Six Democrats who made the video encouraging members of the military to refuse “illegal orders” stepped right into that old maxim. The video caused righteous furor and understandable concern about the effect it could have. The six Democrats were Reps. Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-6), Maggie Goodlander (NH-2), and Jason Crow (CO-6), along with Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ). Kelly alleged without evidence in the video that “this administration” was “pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens.”
The Department of War announced it would be reviewing allegations of misconduct against Kelly over the clip. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth slammed the video as a “politically-motivated influence operation” and noted they hadn’t outlined any specific illegal orders. Kelly was asked about this on MS NOW on Monday, and again, he couldn’t list anything.
“In the military, vague rhetoric and ambiguity undermines trust, creates hesitation in the chain of command, and erodes cohesion,” Hegseth wrote. “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.”