{"id":2516323,"date":"2025-12-01T19:24:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T00:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mark-kelly-likens-hegseth-to-12-year-old-playing-army\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T19:25:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T00:25:11","slug":"mark-kelly-likens-hegseth-to-12-year-old-playing-army","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mark-kelly-likens-hegseth-to-12-year-old-playing-army\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Kelly likens Hegseth to &#8217;12-year-old playing army&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmark-kelly-likens-hegseth-to-12-year-old-playing-army%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2516323&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senator Mark kelly (D-AZ) sharply criticized War Secretary Pete Hegseth, comparing him to a &#8220;12-year-old playing army&#8221; and stating that Hegseth should have been fired following the controversy surrounding leaked Signal group chats (&#8220;Signalgate&#8221;). Kelly condemned Hegseth&#8217;s conduct and questioned his qualifications,emphasizing that the military is highly competent and does not need a secretary who focuses on theatrics rather than mission and accountability. The conflict intensified after Hegseth ordered an investigation into Kelly&#8217;s involvement in a video urging servicemembers to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-accused-of-encouraging-military-coup-with-coordinated-message-to-armed-services-personnel\/\" title=\"Democrats Accused of Encouraging ...... Coup... with Coordinated Message to Armed Services Personnel\">refuse illegal orders<\/a>,labeling Kelly&#8217;s actions as discrediting the armed forces. Hegseth also harshly criticized six Democratic veteran lawmakers who released the video, calling them the &#8220;Seditious Six,&#8221; echoing former President Trump&#8217;s accusations of sedition. Kelly has pushed back against the investigation, accusing the Trump management of using bullying tactics to silence opponents. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has not commented on the dispute.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Kelly likens Hegseth to &rsquo;12-year-old playing army,&rsquo; says he should&rsquo;ve been fired after Signal leaks<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2420595\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mark-kelly\/\">Mark Kelly <\/a>(D-AZ) stepped up his war of words against War Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\/\">Pete Hegseth<\/a>, calling him a &ldquo;12-year-old playing army,&rdquo; during a press conference on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly has come under scrutiny from the Trump administration in recent weeks after Hegseth ordered the Navy to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3899395\/hegseth-navy-review-mark-kelly-comments\/\">investigate<\/a> his role in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3892669\/democratic-veterans-congress-unlawful-orders\/\">video<\/a> from Democratic veteran <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3896948\/pentagon-announces-thorough-review-mark-kelly-illegal-orders-video\/\">lawmakers<\/a> that urged servicemembers to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-claps-back-at-slotkin-over-reversal-on-alleged-illegal-military-orders\/\" title=\"Vance claps back at Slotkin over reversal on alleged ...illegal... ... ...\">refuse unspecified illegal orders<\/a>. Kelly repudiated the inquiry to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/the-defense-department-is-investigating-kelly-over-the-illegal-orders-video-experts-doubt-they-can-actually-prosecute-him\">reporters<\/a> on Monday, saying President Donald Trump has a &ldquo;play&rdquo; of &ldquo;bullying his opponents into silence&rdquo; and railing against Hegseth as &ldquo;unqualified.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3903162\/chuck-schumer-maga-bomb-threats-senate-offices-new-york\/\">Schumer says New York offices hit with &#8216;MAGA&#8217; bomb threats<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3902495\/nalin-haley-congress-glorified-nursing-home\/\">Nalin Haley says Congress is &#8216;a glorified nursing home&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3902353\/indiana-state-senator-pipe-bomb-threat-redistricting-opposition\/\">Indiana state senator hit with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/j-k-rowlings-new-book-features-character-stabbed-to-death-after-being-accused-of-transphobia\/\" title=\"J.K. Rowling\u2019s New Book Features Character Stabbed To Death After Being Accused Of Transphobia\">pipe bomb threat<\/a> after redistricting opposition<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;This guy is so unqualified for the job. I mean, think about this. He runs around on a stage, talking about lethality and warrior ethos and killing people,&rdquo; Kelly said. We have the most competent, capable military this planet has ever seen by far. That&rsquo;s not the message that needs to come from the secretary of defense.&rdquo; Kelly said.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly, a retired Navy captain, said Hegseth should be talking about &ldquo;mission and accountability&rdquo; and making sure members of the military are trained and equipped &ldquo;to do really hard jobs.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Instead, he runs around on a stage like he&rsquo;s a 12-year-old playing army. And it is ridiculous. It is embarrassing, and I can&rsquo;t imagine what our allies think of looking at that guy in this job, one of the most important jobs in our country,&rdquo; Kelly said.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly&rsquo;s video on refusing illegal orders came just days before reports that the U.S. military, under Hegseth&rsquo;s orders, killed survivors of a strike on an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean. The White House on Monday, however, said Adm. Mitch Bradley <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3902483\/white-house-hegseth-survivors-boat-strike-caribbean-legal\/\">gave that order<\/a> and was &ldquo;well within his authority in the law&rdquo; to have the survivors killed in the water.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth has referred to the six lawmakers who released the video as the &ldquo;Seditious Six,&rdquo; following a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3893490\/trump-blasts-seditious-democratic-veterans-truth-social\/\">Truth Social <\/a>post from Trump, in which he wrote &ldquo;SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The video made by the &lsquo;Seditious Six&rsquo; was despicable, reckless, and false. Encouraging our warriors to ignore the orders of their Commanders undermines every aspect of &lsquo;good order and discipline.&rsquo; Their <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >foolish screed sows doubt<\/a> and confusion &mdash; which only puts our warriors in danger,&rdquo; Hegseth wrote in an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PeteHegseth\/status\/1993008532187148582?s=20\">X post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Announcing the department&rsquo;s review of Kelly&rsquo;s actions, Hegseth said Kelly is &ldquo;still subject to UCMJ&mdash;and he knows that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Kelly&rsquo;s conduct brings discredit upon the armed forces and will be addressed appropriately,&rdquo; Hegseth said <\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3898415\/trump-pete-hegsth-investigation-democrats-mark-kelly-elissa-slotkin-sedition\/\">TRUMP ACCUSED DEMOCRATS OF SEDITION. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kelly has been fighting the review from the War Department, blasting Hegseth <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3902020\/mark-kelly-second-strike-drug-boat-survivors\/\">in the press<\/a> throughout the holiday week.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is the secretary of defense. This is not a serious person. He should have been fired after <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3385965\/pete-hegseth-signal-group-chat-what-you-need-to-know\/\">Signalgate<\/a> and then every single day after that,&rdquo; Kelly said on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon did not respond to the <em>Washington Examiner&rsquo;s <\/em>requests for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kelly calls Hegseth a &#8217;12-year-old playing army,&#8217; says he should&#8217;ve been fired after Signal leaks<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2516326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-collage-gd5c0l59c-1764120470532-e1764523569605.jpg?1764505596&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[35898,36497,68036,44930,32171],"class_list":["post-2516323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-mark-kelly","tag-media-critique","tag-military-analogy","tag-pete-hegseth","tag-political-commentary"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-collage-gd5c0l59c-1764120470532-e1764523569605.jpg?1764505596&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2516323"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2516328,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2516323\/revisions\/2516328"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2516326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2516323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2516323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2516323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}