Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., on Tuesday said the Pentagon’s newly announced escalation of an investigation into him was part of an effort to deter servicemembers and government employees from speaking out against President Donald Trump.
A Defense Department official confirmed on Tuesday that the Pentagon was escalating a preliminary review of Kelly’s involvement in a video in which he urged troops to disobey unlawful orders into an “official command investigation” for “serious allegations of misconduct.”
Speaking to reporters after an all-senators briefing on counter-drug strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, Kelly said the Pentagon’s investigation into him was “bullshit” and intended to silence critics of Trump.
