Newsmax host Greg Kelly criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for firing Navy Secretary John Phelan without advance notice, calling him an "insecure fake" who "lied and conned his way through life," on X.

Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported Hegseth ousted Phelan after the Navy secretary refused to comply with demands to punish Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), a retired Navy captain and former astronaut, for a video encouraging service members to disobey illegal orders.