Pete Hegseth Launches New Attack on Mark Kelly Over Message to Troops
Kelly criticized Hegseth’s review, which could reduce his military retirement grade and pay.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates Yahoo News, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.
Yahoo News is an established news platform, but its role as a publisher and distributor can make the reporting source less clear.
- Source type — A widely recognized national news platform, though it also distributes work from other publishers.
- Author attribution — The article names an author.
- Transparency — The article identifies speakers and attributes their claims, but the page text gives little detail about editorial oversight.
- Editorial standards — The available material does not establish the publisher's correction practices or standards for this article.
The article gives the stated basis and potential consequences of the review, includes Kelly’s response, and provides procedural context. Its expert sourcing is unnamed, and the framing is strongly critical of Hegseth.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article reports Hegseth’s stated actions and includes Kelly’s response and experts’ objections, but its own framing is critical and it gives little detail supporting Hegseth’s position.
- Loaded language — The opening uses “petty payback,” and the narration characterizes the action as a tactic against critics.
- Counterarguments presented — Hegseth’s claims are reported, and Kelly and military experts offer opposing views.
- Source diversity — The article quotes Hegseth and Kelly, but the military experts are unnamed.
- Omitted context — The article gives little explanation of Hegseth’s justification beyond his allegation of misconduct.
The article uses critical language about Hegseth’s action, describing it as “petty payback” and as a tactic against critics. Its framing is sympathetic to Kelly.
- Language tone — The opening calls the action “petty payback,” a clearly evaluative description.
- Framing — The article frames the review as an effort to target critics and gives substantial space to Kelly’s objection.
- Source selection — Kelly’s response and unnamed military experts’ views are included, while Hegseth’s rationale appears through his own statements.
Republished
Republished from The New Republic. The relationship between the two publishers has not been determined.
325 stories · 62–63 · updated Oct 12, 2026
This is The New Republic's own score, and this article is credited to The New Republic. The host score in the Source Check is Yahoo News's.
Pete Hegseth said he had begun a review that could reduce Sen. Mark Kelly’s military retirement grade and pay after Kelly appeared in a video urging service members not to follow illegal orders. Kelly called the action an attempt to punish critics.
Hegseth announced Monday that he had initiated a Grade Determination Review after Kelly appeared in a video with other Democratic lawmakers urging military and intelligence personnel not to follow illegal orders. Hegseth said the review could lower Kelly’s military retirement grade and retired pay, and said he would oversee the process, which he expected to finish within 45 days. He also said he would issue Kelly a Letter of Censure.
Community verdict
22 VOTESCounts every outlet’s report of this story. See all 43
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SWIPE →Defense secretary who initiated the review
Hegseth's version of this story ↗President, mentioned in Kelly’s criticism of the administration
Part of a bigger story
40 OUTLETSHegseth censured Kelly and began proceedings that could reduce his retired military rank and pay after Kelly joined a video urging service members to refuse unlawful orders. Left-leaning outlets frame the possible rank and pay reductions as punishment for Kelly’s speech. Center outlets largely recount the censure and possible consequences alongside Kelly’s objections and legal questions. Right-leaning outlets more often present the action as accountability for Kelly’s call to refuse orders, though some report the dispute descriptively.
- ARTICLES
- 43
- OUTLETS
- 40
- AVG CRED
- 71
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