Prominent sports commentator Stephen A. Smith has launched a fierce criticism against Senator Mark Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers for their participation in a viral video that encourages military service members to disobey illegal orders from former President Donald Trump's administration.
Sports Commentator's Strong Rebuke
During Wednesday's episode of his "Straight Shooter" SiriusXM show, Smith argued that Kelly, a retired Navy captain, had "crossed the line" and had "no business" delivering such a message to military personnel. The ESPN host expressed his outrage directly at the Arizona senator, stating "How dare you do that? I'm not a military person, and I know better than that."
Smith emphasized that Kelly, given his military background, should have known better than to appear in the controversial footage that has since amassed over 18 million views on social media platform X. The video also featured Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, along with Representatives Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan, and Jason Crow, all of whom possess military or intelligence backgrounds.
Constitutional Process Versus Public Statements
The sports commentator insisted that elected officials should follow proper constitutional procedures rather than making public appeals to military members. "You are an elected official in the nation's capital. We have a constitution. You got a problem — you go through the necessary process," Smith declared during his broadcast.
He specifically mentioned that concerns about the Trump administration's orders should have been addressed through established political channels, referencing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as appropriate contacts. Smith maintained that "you don't go in front of the cameras and give military officers or military personnel a directive to ignore their commander-in-chief."
Drawing from his personal connections to military service, Smith noted that he has family members and friends who have served in all four branches of the armed forces, and claimed that "not one of them said that the video was OK."
Political Fallout and Investigation
The controversy has triggered significant political consequences, with the Department of Defense announcing an investigation into Kelly following the video's release. Former President Trump himself condemned the footage as "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR" on social media and reposted a message calling for the lawmakers to be executed.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described the video as "despicable, reckless, and false" in an X post, while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Democratic lawmakers of attempting to "sow chaos and distrust."
Despite the criticism, Kelly has received some bipartisan support. GOP Senators John Curtis of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska both defended the Arizona senator in X posts amid the Pentagon probe into what officials are calling "serious allegations of misconduct" against him.
Smith questioned why the Democratic lawmakers didn't specify what illegal orders they were referencing in their video message. "You didn't tell us what it was... Trump is giving illegal orders? What are the illegal orders? How come you didn't tell us what they were? Where's the evidence?" he challenged during his show.
