Republican choose TORCHES Pete Hegseth in savage ruling after he threatened to strip senator’s rank: ‘Our veterans deserve extra’

Pete Hegseth was blocked by a federal judge on Thursday from punishing a Democratic senator who urged troops not to carry out illegal orders from Donald Trump.

Richard L. Leon, a Bush-appointed federal judge for the District of Columbia, slapped the defense secretary with a blunt ruling after the Pentagon tried to strip Sen. Mark Kelly of his retired navy rank and pension. 

‘Rather than trying to shrink the First Amendment liberties of retired service members, Secretary Hegseth and his fellow Defendants might reflect and be grateful for the wisdom and expertise that retired service members have brought to public discussions and debate on military matters in our Nation over the past 250 years,’ Judge Leon wrote in a 29-page ruling.

‘If so, they will more fully appreciate why the Founding Fathers made free speech the first Amendment in the Bill of Rights!’

In November, Kelly along with five other Democratic lawmakers published a video where they encouraged active duty service members in the military and intelligence community to refuse ‘illegal orders’ from the White House.

Trump reacted by accusing Kelly and his fellow Democrats of ‘SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!’ 

The judge’s decision came after Kelly sued Hegseth and the Defense Department for launching a military investigation into his public statements that could result in the lost of his rank. 

This is a developing story…