'Bully' Pete Hegseth Calls for Mark Kelly to Be Investigated by the Pentagon for a Second Time

Embattled Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called for a new investigation into Arizona Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly on Sunday, May 10, alleging that Kelly may have violated his oath by disclosing classified information.

This new dispute follows a major legal setback for Hegseth in an ongoing battle regarding Kelly's military rank and pension.

Hegseth announced on social media that the Pentagon’s legal counsel would review Kelly's comments made during an interview on CBS News' Face the Nation.

“We’ve expended a lot of munitions. And that means the American people are less safe. Whether it’s a conflict in the western Pacific with China or somewhere else in the world, the munitions are depleted,” Kelly, who sits on the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees, told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan.

“Did he violate his oath…again? @DeptofWar legal counsel will review,” Hegseth posted on social media Sunday evening.

Kelly replied to Hegseth’s post with a video of Kelly questioning the secretary during a recent Senate hearing.

“We had this conversation in a public hearing a week ago, and you said it would take ‘years’ to replenish some of these stockpiles. That’s not classified, it’s a quote from you,” Kelly posted, adding that the “war is coming at a serious cost.”

The former Fox News weekend host accused decorated veteran Kelly of "blabbing" about a classified Pentagon briefing concerning U.S. weapon stockpiles and munitions depletion amid the conflict with Iran.

Kelly retorted that the information was not classified, noting he was quoting Hegseth's own public statements from a Senate hearing held a week prior.

The call for a new probe comes as the Pentagon faces likely defeat in its original attempt to punish Kelly.

Hegseth previously attempted to censure and demote Kelly, a retired Navy captain, over a 2025 video in which Kelly advised troops to refuse "illegal orders.”

A grand jury declined to indict the lawmakers involved in February, and a federal district judge issued a temporary injunction blocking Hegseth's demotion efforts.

On May 7, a federal appeals court appeared highly skeptical of the Pentagon's authority to punish retired service members for political speech, signaling they may soon uphold the block on Hegseth's actions.

This expected loss comes amid reports of significant turmoil and internal criticism surrounding an increasingly combative Hegseth, including his isolation, staff purges and high-level personnel decisions.

While some sources indicate potential pressure to replace him following scandals, others suggest he remains supported by President Donald Trump for his efforts to shift Pentagon culture.

"Hegseth has other things going on right now that should be his priority, yet he seems so actively interested in carrying out the president's retribution," noted Morning Joe host Jonathan Lemire.

"It's this strange bullying, and it's anti-democratic...it's really concerning," added MS NOW's National Security reporter, David Rohde.