(CNN) — Publicly, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been highly critical of the six Democratic lawmakers who released a video last week urging military service members to disobey illegal orders, calling the lawmakers the “Seditious Six” and categorizing their message as “despicable, reckless, and false.”

That criticism has particularly focused on Sen. Mark Kelly, the member of the group who had the longest tenure in the military and who achieved the highest rank of captain in the Navy.

Hegseth has attacked Kelly by name, unlike the other lawmakers. He mocked Kelly for a picture of him in uniform — “you can’t even display your uniform correctly” — and wrote that Kelly’s “conduct brings discredit upon the armed forces and will be addressed appropriately.”

Behind closed doors, H

See Full Page