Matt Taibbi and Walter Kirn – Screencap of Twitter/X video.
Walter Kirn is a writer and literary critic who does a regular podcast appearance with journalist Matt Taibbi. During a recent episode, Kirn went off on Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona for the ‘illegal orders’ video put out by Kelly and other Democrats.
Kirn suggested that Kelly and the other Democrats in the video knew what they were doing and that this is basically ‘civil war talk.’
He also suggested that Kelly belongs in the brig over this:
“I think Mark Kelly should specify what he believes these illegal orders to be, give cases of them. Um, you know, describe them, both as they compare to historical illegal orders – in other words, have there been past times in America where this has happened or is he talking about Nazi Germany?
He better clarify himself, because if he doesn’t clarify himself, and I’m just gonna go out on a limb, he belongs in the brig. He belongs in the brig.
This is not funny. This is civil war talk, this is civil war adjacent talk. They are fomenting something, and they are doing it with people who are 19, 20, who don’t understand.”
Watch the whole clip below:
“I think Mark Kelly should specify what he believes these illegal orders to be…..This is not funny. This is civil war talk. This is civil war adjacent talk. They are fomenting something…. But I think he hasn’t been called out strongly enough…. ” @walterkirn on America This… pic.twitter.com/D6CSgRDvTk
— Ellie A (@EllieGAnders) November 25, 2025
When Kirn talks about that NPR piece about National Guard members having ‘encrypted’ chats, he is not kidding.
Here’s the NPR piece he is referencing:
In an encrypted group chat, National Guard members question Trump deployments
As President Trump calls for National Guard deployments across the U.S., a small contingent of Ohio guard members has been quietly expressing concern in an encrypted group chat.
The administration started sending troops into several Democratic-led cities this summer, citing the need to crack down on violent crime and protect federal immigration facilities. The Ohio guard members now say they’re alarmed at the turn the country is taking. They’re even questioning their potential role in it.
“I really went to a dark place when they sent the troops to [Los Angeles], and then eventually [Washington, D.C.], and now, Chicago. This is just not what any of us signed up for, and it’s so out of the scope of normal operations,” says J, a member of the Ohio National Guard who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity.
The left is actually doing this. They are actually trying to plant seeds to turn the U.S. Military against Trump. They would tear this country in half in a quest to regain power.
The post Writer Walter Kirn Goes Off on Senator Mark Kelly Over ‘Illegal Orders’ Message: ‘This is Civil War Talk’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.