Senator Faces Demotion After Criticizing Pentagon

A U.S. senator says the Pentagon is trying to silence him. Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona made the claim on Tuesday. He was responding to an action by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth started a process to demote Kelly and cut his future retirement pay. Kelly says the move is not about military rules. He says it is "about stifling people's speech." He suggests it is a reaction to his past criticisms of Department of Defense leadership. Kelly is a former Navy captain and astronaut. He currently serves in the Senate. The demotion process targets his retired military rank.