Former military leaders are circling the wagons around Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in a move that reads like history repeating itself.
Forty-one ex-military officials have come out in support of Kelly, who has come under fire by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over his part in the “Seditious Six” video that encouraged active-duty military personnel to refuse illegal orders. The group includes “retired four-star generals, admirals, and service secretaries who have served in both Republican and Democratic administrations,” according to The Hill, who filed a federal court brief backing Kelly’s fight against Hegseth.
“Disciplining Senator Kelly for engaging in protected, political speech violates the First Amendment and, if permitted to stand, would chill public participation by veterans around the country,” it reads. “Diverse viewpoints are critical to a healthy and free marketplace of ideas, and silencing veteran voices would be especially harmful — depriving the public of experienced and informed views on critical matters of national security.”
They also noted that the administration has the power to punish Kelly for speaking out against it, but insists it was done “in light of the gravity of the issues in this case and the potential implications for millions of active-duty and retired members of the armed forces.”
“This decision is not made lightly: the attempt to punish Senator Kelly suggests that public expressions of disagreement with the Secretary – even if made in good faith and supported factually – invite possible retaliation,” the group continues, adding that they are “aware of many fellow veterans who would eagerly participate in public debate on important and contested issues, but are declining to do so today, fearing official reprisal.”
But some have noticed similarities between this and another high-profile news story from 2020.
October 19, 2020, Politico published a story on the more than 50 former senior intelligence officials who joined together in a letter claiming they believe that the Hunter Biden “laptop from hell” had “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.” In the six years that have passed, it has since come out that this was not the case, and the laptop, as well as all the heinous, questionable material kept on it, was the property of the former first son. But at the time, it is believed that this story could have had a make-or-break effect on former President Joe Biden’s Oval Office bid, and it was treated as misinformation by the mainstream media.
The ex-intel officials cited their national security credentials to claim they were “deeply suspicious that the Russian government played a significant role in this case,” believing the laptop to be the result of the Kremlin.
“If we are right, this is Russia trying to influence how Americans vote in this election, and we believe strongly that Americans need to be aware of this,” they wrote.
“Nick Shapiro, a former top aide under CIA director John Brennan, provided POLITICO with the letter on Monday. He noted that ‘the IC leaders who have signed this letter worked for the past four presidents, including Trump. The real power here, however, is the number of former, working-level IC officers who want the American people to know that once again the Russians are interfering,'” the outlet reported at the time.
Some X users noted the similarities:
Are there 51 of them?
— Toni Gering (@ToniGering) January 20, 2026
Oh is that like the 50 security personnel that were sure the Biden laptop was Soviet interference. Keep claiming that Hill.
— James Page (@JgpagePage) January 21, 2026
Ex! Remember when the Ex-intelligence officials signed the letter lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop saying it had all the earmarks of a russian info operation? Those kind of Ex-military leaders?
— T Pardi (@tpardiUSA) January 20, 2026
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to write. Marlee also contributes to BizPac Review.
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