WATCH: Kelly Defends Free Press, Calls Out Administration for Prioritizing Appearances Over Truth

“This President and the Secretary of Defense, they clearly do not like accountability. They don’t like criticism. They don’t want the American people to even have the facts. This is how democracies die.” In case you missed it, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly joined MS NOW’s Deadline: White House to defend the essential role of the press in American democracy after President Trump targeted news organizations for coverage he didn’t like. Kelly urged journalists to keep holding the government accountable no matter the circumstances. Kelly also called out the administration over reports that more servicemembers have died amid the war with Iran than previously disclosed. Sen. Kelly talks to Nicolle Wallace on Deadline: White House. Watch the full conversation here . See key excerpts below: On the servicemembers who have given their lives amid Trump’s war in Iran… “Real leaders, great leaders, are not worried about sharing bad news. Leadership means you want to be transparent with the people you are leading. And this president and the Secretary of Defense, they clearly do not like accountability. They don’t like criticism. They don’t want the American people to even have the facts. This is how democracies die. I feel so awful for the family members who are losing loved ones in this war. Parents, brothers and sisters and children, that it was unnecessary.” “Of course he doesn’t care. He’s called dead marines ‘suckers and losers.’ People who paid the ultimate price, who fought for this country in our time of need. ‘Suckers and losers.’ I care. I care about all of our servicemembers. I served in the United States Navy for 25 years. Every member of our military who are willing to put their lives on the line deserve to have a Commander-in-Chief that cares about them, that has the ability to make good decisions, that knows when it is worth it to put their lives on the line for our national security, and when it just doesn’t make sense. And this time, with this war in Iran, there was no reason he had to do this.” On Hegseth gutting military leadership… “Pete Hegseth is in charge, and that’s why this has been such a disaster. That’s why we’ve lost a portion of a generation of leadership within the military. He fires people that he thinks are not sufficiently loyal to him and the President. He fires women because of their gender. He fires Black admirals and generals because of the color of their skin. “He cares about appearances… He doesn’t want people to know how many service members are dying, paying the ultimate price, defending our nation. For them, it is all about—this is all a show. That’s what happens when the country elects a guy who is a reality TV show star… they think of this as a production.” On his message to the press to keep holding this administration accountable… “I hope you double down, you and CNN and POLITICO and other news organizations on the accountability part of your job—keeping any government, this one, the one before it, regardless of who is in the White House. Your job is to inform the American people and I know that just got a lot harder for you, but I hope under these adverse circumstances that you’re in, you will figure out ways to report to your viewers what is happening inside this government. These are challenging times, but like my wife says, we are up to the challenge.”