Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has opened an investigation into Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) after he shared details from a classified briefing during an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
“After hearing the Pentagon classified brief on Iran war impact on US weapons stockpiles, Senator Mark Kelly says it is ‘shocking how deep we have gone into these magazines,'” Margaret Brennan wrote on X. “He said the Tomahawks, ATACMS, SM-3, THAAD rounds, Patriot rounds, so those interceptor rounds to defend ourselves have been hit hard. He says it’ll take years to replenish those stockpiles, which could affect a hypothetical US conflict with China.”
“‘Captain’ Mark Kelly strikes again,” Hegseth wrote in response to Brennan’s post. “Now he’s blabbing on TV (falsely & dumbly) about a *CLASSIFIED* Pentagon briefing he received. Did he violate his oath…again?” He noted that the War Department’s legal counsel will review the matter.
This is not the first time Hegseth has launched legal action against Kelly. Earlier this year, Hegseth moved to censure Kelly after he took part in a video directing troops not to follow what he claimed were “illegal orders” from President Trump. Kelly then filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon and Hegseth, claiming in a social media statement that the War Department’s action threatened his “freedom of speech, the separation of powers, and due process.”
A judge blocked Hegseth’s censure of Kelly in February. According to U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, “Secretary Hegseth relies on the well-established doctrine that military servicemembers enjoy less vigorous First Amendment protections given the fundamental obligation for obedience and discipline in the armed forces.”
“Unfortunately for Secretary Hegseth, no court has ever extended those principles to retired servicemembers, much less a retired servicemember serving in Congress and exercising oversight responsibility over the military,” Leon wrote. “This Court will not be the first to do so!”
