Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth accused Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly of sharing classified information during an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
“‘Captain’ Mark Kelly strikes again,” Hegseth wrote in response to a post by “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan on X detailing what Kelly told her about U.S. stockpiles, which Kelly said the U.S. war with Iran has reduced.
“Now he’s blabbing on TV (falsely & dumbly) about a *CLASSIFIED* Pentagon briefing he received. Did he violate his oath…again?” Hegseth wrote.
Hegseth also noted that the Pentagon’s legal counsel “will review” the lawmaker’s remarks.
Kelly, a retired Navy captain, during his CBS interview, said that the Pentagon briefed him and his Senate colleagues on how the U.S. war with Iran has impacted the country’s weapons stockpiles.
“It’s been pretty detailed on Tomahawks, ATACMS, SM-3, THAAD rounds, Patriot rounds, those interceptor rounds to defend ourselves,” he said of the briefing. “And the numbers are, I think it’s fair to say it’s shocking how deep we have gone into these magazines, because this president got our country into this without a strategic goal, without a plan, without a timeline, and because of that, we’ve expended a lot of munitions.”
When asked how long it will take to replenish those reserves, Kelly said, “We’re talking about years.”
Kelly later replied to Hegseth’s post on X by sharing a video of Hegseth testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 30 regarding the Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 budget.
During that hearing, Kelly asked Hegseth how many years it will take for the U.S. military to replenish its stockpiles.
“I think that’s exactly the right question, too, senator,” the Pentagon chief replied. “Because the time frame we were existing under was unacceptable. And what this budget does, I mean, months and years. I mean, we’re building new plants in real time.”
Hegseth added that the specific time frame for replenishment “depends on the weapon system.” He also criticized the Biden administration for sending weapons to Ukraine.
“We had this conversation in a public hearing a week ago and you said it would take ‘years’ to replenish some of these stockpiles,” Kelly wrote of Hegseth’s remarks. “That’s not classified, it’s a quote from you. This war is coming at a serious cost and you and the president still haven’t explained to the American people what the goal is.”
The Arizona Senator and Hegseth have been embroiled in a feud for months after the War Secretary moved to censure and demote Sen. Mark Kelly’s (D-Ariz.) military rank, alleging he made “seditious statements” that undermined military operations. (RELATED: Sec. Of War Moves To Censure Senator Mark Kelly)
In February, a federal judge halted the Pentagon’s attempt to censure the Arizona lawmaker.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, appointed by former President George W. Bush, said the military’s stricter rules on speech are meant to preserve discipline among active-duty troops — but have never been applied to retired service members. (RELATED: Sec. Of War Moves To Censure Senator Mark Kelly)
“I will not be the first to do so,” Leon wrote, warning that the Pentagon’s actions threatened the constitutional freedoms of millions of retired veterans.
Leon accused Department of War officials of “trampling” on Kelly’s free speech rights and argued that retirees deserve stronger protection from government punishment. (RELATED: Mark Kelly Files Lawsuit Against Pentagon Over ‘Illegal Orders’ Dispute)
On Thursday, a federal appeals court appeared skeptical of the Pentagon’s effort to censure the lawmaker, according to The Hill.
“You’re saying that, if he wants to speak freely, he should discharge himself, which means giving up his retirement pay, giving up his rank, giving up all of those things,” said Judge Florence Pan, an appointee of former President Biden. “That that is the price that our military retirees and veterans should pay if they want to speak freely?”
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