22Apr
Washington, DC – Common Defense, the nation’s largest grassroots veterans organization, strongly condemns the sham investigation into Senator Mark Kelly by Secretary Pete Hegseth. Senator Kelly and the other elected officials rightly stated the very thing we as veterans all know to be true: that our oath is always to the Constitution and never to one individual.
Air Force Veteran and Common Defense Communications Director, Jacob Thomas, added this quote in response to the news:
“I am appalled by the Pentagon’s politically motivated ‘investigation’ into Senator Mark Kelly, a decorated veteran and astronaut who has dedicated his life to serving our country. This sham probe, spurred by baseless allegations from the Trump administration, is nothing more than an attempt to silence dissent and intimidate those who remind our troops of their duty to uphold the Constitution over unlawful orders. Senator Kelly’s call to refuse illegal directives is not misconduct, it’s patriotism. We must stand against this abuse of power and protect the integrity of our military institutions.”
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Common Defense Civic Engagement (501c4) (CDCE) is a grassroots, veteran-led organization that was founded in 2016. We empower veterans to stand up for our communities against the rising tide of racism, hate, and violence, to organize against the entrenched powers that have rigged our economy, and to champion an equitable and representative democracy, where “liberty and justice” truly is for all. For too long, politicians from both political parties have attempted to use veterans as unwilling political props, and Common Defense serves as a home for veterans to organize and speak for themselves and support the candidates who truly share our values.