A growing group of lawmakers is speaking up for senator Mark Kelly after strong claims made by Donald Trump and defense secretary Pete Hegseth. Kelly is a retired Navy pilot and astronaut. He now serves in the U.S. Senate. Trump and Hegseth said he should be arrested for a short video he joined online. In the video, Kelly and others reminded active-duty troops that they must refuse unlawful orders. This message has long been part of military training. Still, Trump and Hegseth reacted with harsh words, which sparked a wide response. Many lawmakers from one party were quick to defend Kelly. But a few Republicans also joined in. Their support showed that the issue reached beyond party lines. They said the threats against Kelly were wrong, unfair, and harmful to trust in the system. One notable voice was senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska. She has a long record of breaking with her party when she feels it is right. She voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial in 2021. In 2022, she won her race again even after Trump backed her opponent. Her support for Kelly was clear. She posted online that Kelly had served the country with honor as a Navy aviator and a NASA astronaut. She wrote that calling his actions “treason” or “sedition” was reckless. She also said that the Department of Defense and the FBI should focus on real threats, not what she called a “frivolous investigation.” Her words added weight because she has experience dealing with sharp pressure from Trump and his supporters. Senator John Curtis of Utah also shared kind words about Kelly. Curtis had been with Kelly at a campus event only a week earlier. The event was about respectful dialogue. During the event, a far-right activist, Charlie Kirk, was killed. Curtis said that he respected Kelly as a colleague and friend. He praised Kelly’s service record and noted his years as a combat pilot and his four missions as a NASA astronaut. Curtis did not mention the threats against Kelly, but his message of respect stood out at a tense time. Another Republican who spoke up was Don Bacon, a congressman from Nebraska. Bacon once served as a general in the Air Force. When he saw the idea from the Defense Department to pull Kelly back into active duty and put him under court martial, he pushed back. Bacon said the plan sounded like “amateur hour.” He did say that he thought Kelly’s video was “foolish,” but he added that the reply from Trump and Hegseth was far too extreme. He said the claims of sedition and the talk of a court martial were “crazy” and urged for common sense. Bacon’s words were notable because he has tried to hold a middle-ground path inside his party in recent years. Jeff Flake, a former Republican senator from Arizona, also voiced his support. Flake had served as the U.S. ambassador to Turkey under the Biden administration. He has known Kelly for many years. Flake said Kelly was a good man with a long record of service. He pointed out the heavy cost Kelly and his wife, Gabby Giffords, have faced. Giffords was shot in the head while she served in Congress. Kelly became active in public life after that attack. He later ran for the Senate. Flake said he was proud to call Kelly his senator and praised his service to the country. The strong defense from these lawmakers showed how unusual the claims against Kelly were. The U.S. military already trains service members to refuse illegal orders. This rule protects the country from abuse of power. Kelly’s video restated this basic principle. Still, Trump and Hegseth reacted as if it was a political attack. Their threats to arrest Kelly drew quick criticism. Many saw the threats as a warning sign of political pressure being used against a sitting senator. The show of Mark Kelly Support from both sides may calm some tension. It also showed that many leaders want to protect long-standing rules about the military and the law. For now, Kelly continues his work in the Senate with a growing circle of public allies.