Ten days after suing the Pentagon, Sen. Mark Kelly says he's seriously considering whether to become the next Commander in Chief. In an interview with CNN published Wednesday, per the Hill, the Arizona Democrat and former astronaut said he's actively weighing a presidential run, while adding that the right candidate will depend on what the country needs in 2028. "We don't know what that moment is yet," he said. This comes as Kelly sues to block his censure by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over video comments urging troops to resist illegal orders, which he says every American should view with alarm.
In a 46-page federal complaint, Kelly argues that the alleged retaliation violates the separation of powers and the tradition of a nonpartisan military. The lawsuit says the government cannot penalize protected speech, especially when it comes from a sitting lawmaker speaking on public policy. Kelly put it in more blunt terms to CNN, saying he is a senator with "supercharged First Amendment speech rights" under the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause. "They're trampling on that," he said, adding, "if they can go after me, they can go after anyone."
President Trump labeled Kelly and five other Democrats who participated in the November video as seditionists and suggested they deserved the death penalty. Kelly says threats have surged since then, targeting him, his wife—former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived a 2011 assassination attempt—and even his adult children, whose homes now receive police patrols. Still, Kelly, once vetted as a potential running mate for then-Vice President Kamala Harris, is traveling the country and casting himself as a defender against what he calls an "unhinged" president and the "weaponization" of government against veterans. "I feel this obligation more so than anything I've ever done in my life," he tells CNN.
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