Pete Hegseth Slams Democrat Insurrection Video as Dangerous Influence Operation

War Secretary Pete Hegseth isn’t holding back and for good reason.

In a fiery statement released Tuesday, Hegseth ripped into six Democrat lawmakers five of whom are military veterans for releasing what he called a “politically-motivated influence operation” disguised as a public service announcement. The video in question urged current military service members to “refuse illegal orders” without naming a single illegal order and cast vague, ominous doubts about the chain of command under President Donald Trump.

Among the so-called “Seditious Six” are:

• Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI)

• Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA)

• Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH)

• Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO)

• Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ)

• An unnamed DNC-backed CIA analyst

Every single one of them knew better. And Pete Hegseth let them have it.

“The despicable video urging @DeptofWar troops to ‘refuse illegal orders’ may seem harmless to civilians but it carries a different weight inside the military,” Hegseth wrote on Tuesday.

He continued, breaking down the true threat:

• No examples of unlawful orders were given.

• Ambiguity was weaponized to sow doubt in the chain of command.

• Scripted legalese was used to disguise partisan mistrust as military duty.

Hegseth made one thing crystal clear: The U.S. military has long-established legal processes for handling unlawful orders. Injecting vague, partisan rhetoric only endangers unit cohesion and battlefield readiness.

“In the military, vague rhetoric and ambiguity undermines trust, creates hesitation in the chain of command, and erodes cohesion,” Hegseth said. “The military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. It does not need political actors injecting doubt.”

This wasn’t a mistake. According to Hegseth, it was intentional subversion.

“As veterans of various sorts, the Seditious Six knew exactly what they were doing sowing doubt through a politically-motivated influence operation.”

And there could be consequences. On Monday, Hegseth reminded the public that Senator Mark Kelly, the only one of the six who is formally retired from military service, is still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

He followed that statement with action. On Tuesday, Hegseth submitted a memorandum to the Secretary of the Navy, requesting a full review of Kelly’s remarks in the video to determine whether they violated military law. He expects a full briefing on the findings by December 10.

The Democrat message was clear: “We don’t trust Trump, and neither should you.” But the consequences of such messaging are far more dangerous than cheap political jabs. They actively threaten the integrity of the chain of command a foundational element of military discipline and national security.

Imagine if this same rhetoric had come from Republicans under Biden. The media would be screaming “insurrection” and demanding court-martials.

Instead, we get silence. Because in Washington, rules only apply to one side.

Hegseth is right to call it out. And Americans should be outraged that veterans-turned-politicians are using their military service to sow distrust in our armed forces all to score cheap political points.

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