Senator Calls Biden 'Dictator' After Refusing 'Illegal Order,' Now Wants Demotion for Others
Fox News personality and former Army National Guard officer Pete Hegseth is demanding Senator Mark Kelly be censured and demoted. Why? Because Kelly, then a naval aviator, once stated he would refuse a hypothetical illegal order from a hypothetical 'dictator' president if it involved launching a nuclear weapon without proper authority. This, Hegseth declares, makes Kelly unfit. (How many
hypothetical 'dictator' presidents have Republicans supported, one might wonder?) Hegseth’s outrage conveniently forgets his own televised history of challenging authority. This isn't about military code; it's about weaponizing performative patriotism against a political opponent. It’s a classic tactic: accuse your foe of the very sins you demonstrate. Meanwhile, the actual military code
emphasizes refusing unlawful orders, not blindly following them. But that inconvenient truth would spoil a perfectly good political attack.