Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s attempt to please Donald Trump by pursuing Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) with a possible recall and court-martial will not play well with the public, as evidenced by GOP lawmakers siding with the former Navy pilot and astronaut, according to some.
Expanding upon reports that Hegseth wants to make an example of the Arizona Democrat for his part in a public service announcement advising military members they don’t have to follow “illegal“ orders, “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough and his panel agreed it is a massive misstep by the administration.
“The political negligence of Republicans for somehow putting these war heroes up front to simply defend the concept that our soldiers and sailors and airmen and Marines and members of the Coast Guard should uphold their oath to god and country, seems to me a very shortsighted and stupid political play by Republicans and members of the Trump administration,” the MS NOW host told his panel.
“Yeah, 100 percent,” MS NOW contributor Sam Stein remarked.
“A couple of things to remember," he elaborated, "For many of these Cabinet members, including Hegseth, they were asked during their confirmation hearings, would you, you know, execute an illegal order? So this concept that this is some sort of grand, weird conspiracy that Trump might issue these executive orders or orders that were illegal is not far-fetched.”
“I mean, this is a hypothetical that's been engaged by Hegseth and others already,” he continued.
"Secondarily, yeah, by elevating Mark Kelly, I mean, by doing this, you were just elevating Mark Kelly, who frankly, has been through tragedy, doesn't deserve to have death — the threat of execution leveled at him by the president of the United States,” he explained. “But also, if we're being honest, will surely benefit politically from this. All he has to do is put on his bomber jacket, go on TV and say, ‘I'm not going to be intimidated by this guy, I just spoke the truth,’ and I'm sure the fundraising money is going to come pouring in. And frankly, rightfully so.”