Pentagon Investigates Senator Kelly Video

The Pentagon is investigating Senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly for possible breaches of Military law. NBC News Radio National Correspondent Rory O'Neill joins us with the details. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So the Pentagon is investigating now that Senator Kelly video
though a local lawmaker state senator in it. This is
West Michigan's Morning News, and Rory O'Neil, NBC News Radio
National correspondent joins us, good day to you, sir.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hey, there's Steve. Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
So do we know what illegal orders they were suggesting
might be coming or are they thinking they were already coming?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
How did this thing start? Right?

Speaker 3 (00:25):
So, if you haven't seen the video, there are six
different senators who either worked at the CIA or in
the Navy or at the army, and like Mark Kelly
in the Navy and was an astronaut. But now they
took part in this video that told the American service
members they don't have to follow illegal orders.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Now, they were pretty vague in the video.

Speaker 3 (00:47):
Since then, lots of questions to the senators saying, well,
what are you talking about the situation with the strike
on the drug boats? A court gave us the okay
on that, or what about the deployment in the streets
took places like Chicago and Carlott and next is going
to be Louisiana and New Orleans?

Speaker 2 (01:04):
Is that what you're talking about?

Speaker 3 (01:05):
And they're just sort of vague about it, so we
haven't gotten any These Democrats have not given any specifics
as to what they may be referring to, But they're
trying to use the cover saying, well, look, all we're
doing is reminding those members of the military who are
reaching out to us to ask us questions. We're just
reminding them that their oath is to the Constitution, not
the president.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
Well, I'm curious, whory not having served myself, is there
kind of a broad rule here when it comes to
the military and doing something like this.

Speaker 3 (01:32):
Part of the instructions two members of the military is that,
And they've actually you've probably seen the images of it
in your social media feeds among the places where this
is posted as a plaque at West Point. That reminds
members of the military that it is proper for them
to disregard and illegal order. So it is possible for

(01:54):
them to refuse to do what the commander in chief
tells them to do if that order is ill legal.
But now you're putting these soldiers and sailors in an
awkward position of trying to know the law, international law,
things like that, and.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
Some of these soldiers and saydlers.

Speaker 3 (02:09):
The Democrats claim have reached out to them saying, gee,
I don't know, is it legal for me to open
fire on Americans in the streets if I'm deployed to
a place like Los Angeles.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
Yeah. Boy, Now we're doing a lot of thinking. So
a lot of people are saying they were also just
poking the bear in this thing, hoping the President would
say something silly, and he may have, so whether it
was necessary or not, the Pentagon is going to look
into it.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
Now, right, and you know the President on true social
saying it's sedition and sedition is punishable by death. But
now we got confirmation the Pentagon is launching an investigation
into Kelly, who is retired from the Navy. They might
call him back to active duty in order to pursue
a prosecution here, and that could also, let's see if

(02:56):
we get down that rabbit hole at all, but that
seems a long way off. They have called people back
to duty for prosecution, but typically that's done if you
committed your wrongdoing while you were active duty. So if
you did something while you were serving ten years ago,
then you get caught, well they'll call you back in
and then try you in their military justice system, not

(03:16):
necessarily after you're retired say something they don't.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
It's unprecedented to call you back in for that prosecution.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
That is Rory O'Neil, NBC News Radio National Correspondent, Thank you, Hey,
Thanks guys,