Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly is questioning Hegseth publicly for the first time since the defense secretary tried to punish the senator, a former Navy pilot, for participating in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders.
A federal judge in February temporarily blocked the Pentagon from carrying out Hegseth’s formal censure of Kelly.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat who also participated in the video, is on the Senate Armed Services Committee and questioned Hegseth as well.
They both grilled him on the war with Iran. Kelly pressed Hegseth to distance himself from a March 13 statement in which the defense secretary said there should be “no quarter, no mercy for our enemies.”
Kelly pointed out that stance would violate the Pentagon’s Law of War manual for dealing with combatants who have surrendered.
But Hegseth responded, “We fight to win and we follow the law.”
“Your response here right now,” Kelly said, “makes it clear to the American people exactly why you are not right for this job.”