Month: November 2025

The Pentagon confirmed Monday that it has launched a review into Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly after receiving what it described as “serious allegations of misconduct.” The announcement follows a video released last week in which Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers urged members of the military and intelligence community to refuse unlawful directives from the Trump administration.

Defense officials said the inquiry will determine whether further steps are necessary, noting possible outcomes could include recalling Kelly — a retired Navy captain — to active duty for potential court-martial proceedings or other administrative actions. The department emphasized that the process would follow military law, adding that public comment will be limited to protect the integrity of the case.

Kelly, who spent more than 20 years in the Navy as a combat pilot and instructor before serving as a NASA astronaut, said he first learned of the investigation from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s social media post. “If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work,” he wrote, adding, “I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”

The lawmakers’ video in question featured Kelly alongside Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire — all veterans or former national security officials. In the clip, they told service members that “you can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders.” The message drew intense criticism from Republicans, including Hegseth, who labeled the video “despicable, reckless, and false,” arguing it undermined military discipline. The Pentagon also referenced federal statutes barring efforts to disrupt the loyalty or morale of U.S. forces.

President Trump escalated the dispute in a post on Truth Social, calling the group “traitors” and accusing them of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” before later saying he was “not threatening death” but believed the lawmakers were “in serious trouble.” Several participants in the video have since reported receiving threats, with Kelly warning that Trump’s rhetoric “could have serious, serious consequences.”

Hegseth noted that only Kelly remains subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Supporters, including fellow Arizona Democrat Sen. Ruben Gallego, defended him, saying Kelly has served the country honorably and was reiterating long-standing legal obligations. Kelly has maintained that the video simply reinforced the oath shared by service members, stating, “All we said is we reiterated what basically is the rule of law that members of the military should not, cannot follow illegal orders.”

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A federal judge has dismissed the criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, ruling that the indictments were secured by a prosecutor who lacked lawful authority to bring them.

U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie found that Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan — installed after the Trump administration forced out her predecessor — was unconstitutionally appointed and therefore unable to present cases to a grand jury. Currie wrote in her 29-page ruling that “because Ms. Halligan had no lawful authority to present the indictment, I will grant Mr. Comey’s motion and dismiss the indictment without prejudice,” adding that “all actions flowing from Ms. Halligan’s defective appointment, including securing and signing Mr. Comey’s indictment, were unlawful exercises of executive power.” A similar order tossed the case against Letitia James, with the dismissals issued without prejudice, leaving open the possibility of refiling (although the statute of limitations in Comey’s case may have already expired.) The Department of Justice also can appeal to a higher court.

Halligan, a former insurance lawyer with no prior prosecutorial experience, was a member of Mr. Trump’s defense team in one of the criminal cases brought against him by former special counsel Jack Smith. Attorney General Pam Bondi tapped Halligan as interim U.S. attorney shortly after her predecessor, Erik Siebert, abruptly left the post and appointed Halligan under Section 546, the federal law that governs U.S. attorney vacancies and allows the attorney general to select an interim U.S. attorney, who can then serve for 120 days. The Trump administration has invoked that law and another measure to install temporary prosecutors in New Jersey, Nevada and Los Angeles, though three different federal judges have all found they were serving unlawfully.

Halligan pursued the indictments after career Justice Department lawyers reportedly objected, bringing charges accusing Comey of making false statements and obstructing a congressional proceeding tied to his 2020 Senate testimony, while James had been indicted on bank and mortgage fraud allegations involving a Virginia property. Both pleaded not guilty. The judge rejected attempts by Attorney General Pam Bondi to retroactively validate Halligan’s actions, writing, “That cannot be the law.”

In a video statement, Comey said “the message has to be sent that the president of the United States cannot use the Department of Justice to target his political enemies. I’m grateful that the court ended the case against me, which was a prosecution based on malevolence and incompetence, and a reflection of what the Department of Justice has become under Donald Trump, which is heartbreaking.”

James celebrated the ruling, saying, “I am heartened by today’s victory and grateful for the prayers and support I have received from around the country. I remain fearless in the face of these baseless charges as I continue fighting for New Yorkers every single day.”

According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the Justice Department will appeal the decision.

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is pushing back against reports that she’s eyeing a future White House bid, days after revealing she will leave Congress early next year. The Georgia Republican, who announced Friday she will resign in January following a public split with former President Trump, said online speculation about a 2028 presidential campaign is unfounded.

TIME Magazine and NOTUS reported that Greene had privately discussed running for president, but she dismissed those accounts in a lengthy post on X, calling the reporting a “complete lie.” She added, “I’m not running for President and never said I wanted to and have only laughed about it when anyone would mention it.”

Greene — once one of Trump’s most visible allies — has recently broken with GOP leadership over issues including health care costs, spending negotiations and the government shutdown. Trump has since withdrawn his support and publicly criticized her, fueling questions about her political future. Her resignation announcement on Friday surprised colleagues and immediately triggered speculation about potential Senate, gubernatorial or presidential ambitions, all of which she has rejected.

Greene posted her resignation message on Friday, stating she ran for Congress in 2020 believing “Make America Great Again meant America First” and she asserted she’s had one of the most conservative voting records in Congress. “However with almost one year into our majority, the legislature has been mostly sidelined, we endured an 8 week shut down wrongly resulting in the House not working for the entire time, and we are entering campaign season which means all courage leaves and only safe campaign re-election mode is turned on,” she said.

Responding to the latest reports, Greene argued that pursuing the presidency “requires traveling all over the country, begging for donations all day everyday to raise hundreds of millions of dollars, arguing political talking points everyday to the point of exhaustion, destroying your health and having no personal life in order to attempt to get enough votes to become President all to go to work into a system that refuses to fix any of America’s problems.” She said she is “not motivated by power and titles,” contending that the “Political Industrial Complex has destroyed our country and will never allow someone like me or you to rise to power and actually solve the crises that plague all of us.”

Since entering Congress in 2021, Greene has built a national profile as a staunch conservative firebrand. Her decision to depart — and her sudden fallout with Trump — has reshaped her political trajectory and left supporters in her northwest Georgia district expressing disappointment. Greene has not indicated what she plans to do after leaving office, insisting only that she is not preparing for a presidential run.

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As officials from the United States, Ukraine and Europe continued intensive negotiations in Geneva this weekend over the peace proposal from the U.S. aimed at halting the nearly three-year war in Ukraine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the latest round as the most “productive” to date.

Rubio said the delegations were working through revisions in hopes of narrowing remaining disagreement, with top U.S. officials — including Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, envoy Steve Witkoff and senior national security advisers — meeting with Kyiv’s representatives as President Donald Trump signaled that further bargaining was still possible.

Rubio said that “I think this was a very, very meaningful – I would say probably best – meeting and day we’ve had so far in this entire process, going back to when we first came into office in January. But there’s still some work left to do and that’s what our teams are going to be doing right now … We’re making some changes and adjustments in hopes of further narrowing the differences and getting closer to an outcome that both Ukraine and the United States can be comfortable with,” Rubio said, promising updates after additional meetings.

Similarly, Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, said after meeting with Rubio that “We have very good progress and we are moving forward to the just and lasting peace.”

Following a call with French president Emmanuel Macron later on Sunday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy posted that “our teams in Geneva are working with partners, and it is very important that there is a practical result and that it brings Ukraine and all of Europe closer to reliable peace and security.”  Zelenskyy also addressed the U.S. and Trump, saying in part “we count on our partners to hear our arguments. The leadership of the United States is important, we are grateful for everything that America and President Trump are doing for security, and we keep working as constructively as possible,” writing in part that “the crux of the entire diplomatic situation is that it was Russia, and only Russia, that started this war, and it is Russia, and only Russia, that has been refusing to end it throughout the full-scale invasion.”

The draft 28-point peace plan shared with both Ukraine and Russia includes highly contentious measures: ceding additional territory in the Donbas, recognizing Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk as Russian, sharply reducing Ukraine’s military and blocking any future NATO membership. It also calls for Moscow’s reintegration into global institutions, including a return to the G8. Critics in Washington and Europe have warned the terms resemble Russian demands rather than a balanced settlement.

Confusion over the proposal’s authorship deepened the debate. Some lawmakers said it reflected a “wish list” from Moscow, but the State Department insisted it represents the Trump administration’s position, informed by input from both Kyiv and the Kremlin. Ukrainian officials have struck a cautious tone, saying the plan contains elements aligned with their priorities but still requires significant changes.

Despite public friction — including Trump’s criticism of Ukraine and European allies —  Zelenskyy has emphasized continued engagement, urging partners to strengthen air defenses amid ongoing Russian strikes and stressing that any agreement must provide durable security.

Moscow, meanwhile, has publicly acknowledged receiving the proposal. Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Security Council, “I believe that it could also form the basis for a final peace settlement, but this text has not been discussed with us in detail,” adding, “I believe the reason is the same: the U.S. administration has not yet managed to secure the agreement of the Ukrainian side, as Ukraine is opposed to it.” He also claimed, “Apparently, Ukraine and its European allies are still under the illusion that they can inflict a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield.”

U.S. officials say additional meetings — including one with Russian representatives — are expected as diplomacy accelerates. Whether the proposal can be reshaped into a mutually acceptable agreement remains unclear, but negotiators on all sides say time and battlefield realities are tightening the pressure for a breakthrough.

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