Bernie Sanders: Musk calling Mark Kelly a 'traitor' is 'beyond the pale'
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said the country is getting “sick and tired” of tech billionaire Elon Musk and slammed Musk’s accusation that Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) is a traitor for visiting Ukraine as “beyond the pale.”
“It’s disgusting,” Sanders said of Musk's criticism of Kelly, a decorated former naval aviator.
“Kelly is a military guy who serves his country, went to Ukraine to get a sense of how the Ukrainian people are responding to [President Trump’s] betrayal of the country … and you have Musk talking about Mark Kelly as a traitor,” Sanders said in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
“It is really unspeakable. It really is,” he continued. “I think the American people are sick and tired of the wealthiest guy in the world running the United States government and calling, in this case, a guy who put his life on the line to defend us a traitor. That’s beyond the pale.”
Musk called Kelly “a traitor” in response to Kelly’s post on social platform X, which Musk owns, about his recent trip to Ukraine.
The Arizona Democrat posted a picture of himself standing next to a tank in Ukraine and wrote a thread about why “it’s important we stand with Ukraine.”
He warned that cutting off U.S. military aid “now risks everything so many Ukrainians have laid down their lives for.”
“And while our support hasn’t been free, we haven’t sent even half of what President Trump says,” he added.
Kelly also responded to Musk calling him a traitor in a separate post.
“Elon, if you don’t understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes American great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do," he wrote.
The back-and-forth comes as Musk has placed blame on war-torn Ukraine for a recent outage that affected thousands of X users.
Topics
-
Musk calls Sen. Kelly a 'traitor' over trip to Ukraine, Kelly hits back
Elon Musk called Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly a "traitor" in a post on X after Kelly posted that he had visited Ukraine over the weekend.ABC News - 1d -
Mark Kelly fires back at Musk over 'traitor' accusation
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) hit back at tech billionaire Elon Musk after he called Kelly a "traitor" for visiting Ukraine and demanding the United States stand with Ukrainians in their ongoing war ...The Hill - 1d -
Sen. Mark Kelly says Elon Musk is "not a serious guy"
Elon Musk called Sen. Mark Kelly a "traitor" after the Arizona Democrat posted on X about his recent trip to Ukraine.CBS News - 9h -
Sen. Mark Kelly on Ukraine aid, Elon Musk's criticism and U.S. responsibility
Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democratic lawmaker and Navy combat veteran, is standing by his call for continued U.S. support for Ukraine after visiting the country. His remarks drew criticism from Elon Musk, ...CBS News - 14h -
Mark Kelly: Musk has only sworn 'an oath to his checking account'
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) slammed Elon Musk for calling him “a traitor” for visiting Ukraine, comparing his track record to the billionaire's, who Kelly said has only sworn an “oath to his checking ...The Hill - 15h -
Elon Musk calls Sen. Mark Kelly a 'traitor' over his social media posts in support of Ukraine
Kelly, a former Navy combat pilot, responded to the tech billionaire’s remark by saying “he’s not a serious guy” and should “go back to building rockets.”NBC News - 1d -
Bernie Sanders steps into leadership of the anti-Trump resistance
At 83 years old, Bernie Sanders has emerged as an unlikely leader of the Democratic resistance to Donald TrumpABC News - 1d -
Trump calls Tesla boycott 'illegal' and says he's buying one to support Elon Musk
Trump called Musk, the controversial leader of Tesla and a new government efficiency initiative, a "truly great American."CNBC - 8h -
'I Am Grateful Beyond Words': Brad Marchand Calls Bruins GM One Of The Best After Trade
Just days after being traded to the Florida Panthers by the only NHL team he’s ever known, Brad Marchand would be forgiven for feeling bitter towards the Boston Bruins.Yahoo Sports - 1d
More from The Hill
-
Judge declines to block DOGE from taking over African development agency
A federal judge on Tuesday declined to block the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from taking over the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF). U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ...The Hill - 52m -
Lutnick says Trump tariffs 'worth it' even if they lead to recession
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Tuesday that President Trump’s tariff policies will be worth it, even if the economy ends up in a recession. In an interview that aired Tuesday, CBS News’s ...The Hill - 1h -
Democrat wins special election for Minnesota state House seat
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) candidate David Gottfried is projected to win a special election for a seat in the Minnesota House, according to Decision Desk HQ. Gottfried, a pro bono ...The Hill - 1h -
GOP Rep. Mark Harris says Trump has done 'tremendous job' making case against Education Department
Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) said on Tuesday that President Trump successfully made the case against the Department of Education during his 2024 campaign, leading more Republicans to support the ...The Hill - 1h -
Sununu on possible Senate bid: 'I have not ruled it out completely'
Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he is considering running for Senate after previously rejecting the possibility. “I have not ruled it out completely, but folks in Washington have ...The Hill - 3h
More in Politics
-
Judge declines to block DOGE from taking over African development agency
A federal judge on Tuesday declined to block the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from taking over the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF). U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ...The Hill - 52m -
Lutnick says Trump tariffs 'worth it' even if they lead to recession
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Tuesday that President Trump’s tariff policies will be worth it, even if the economy ends up in a recession. In an interview that aired Tuesday, CBS News’s ...The Hill - 1h -
Democrat wins special election for Minnesota state House seat
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) candidate David Gottfried is projected to win a special election for a seat in the Minnesota House, according to Decision Desk HQ. Gottfried, a pro bono ...The Hill - 1h -
GOP Rep. Mark Harris says Trump has done 'tremendous job' making case against Education Department
Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.) said on Tuesday that President Trump successfully made the case against the Department of Education during his 2024 campaign, leading more Republicans to support the ...The Hill - 1h -
Sununu on possible Senate bid: 'I have not ruled it out completely'
Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said he is considering running for Senate after previously rejecting the possibility. “I have not ruled it out completely, but folks in Washington have ...The Hill - 3h