Hegseth moves to demote Mark Kelly and issues censure over ‘seditious six’ video

Published January 5, 2026 11:18am ET



Secretary of War Pete Hegseth issued a letter of censure and moved to demote retired captain and sitting Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) over a video he and other lawmakers made warning service members not to carry out illegal orders.

Hegseth announced the decision on Monday, saying that the department “has initiated retirement grade determination proceedings under 10 U.S.C. § 1370(f), with reduction in his retired grade resulting in a corresponding reduction in retired pay.” He also issued a letter of censure, which he said will be in Kelly’s permanent military personnel file.

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