DC's New Feud Pits Elon Musk vs. Mark Kelly

Elon Musk has picked a fight with Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, and the former astronaut and ex-Navy pilot seems happy to oblige. Coverage:

• The sniping began when Kelly posted a photo of his recent trip to Ukraine, writing that "what I saw proved to me we can't give up on the Ukrainian people." In response, Musk wrote, "You are a traitor." It was the Arizona senator's third trip to the country since the war began, reports the Washington Post.
• "Elon," Kelly retorted, "if you don't understand that defending freedom is a basic tenet of what makes America great and keeps us safe, maybe you should leave it to those of us who do." Kelly, who flew combat missions in the Middle East before taking four trips to space as an astronaut, also appeared on Rachel Maddow's MSNBC show on Monday to contrast his record with that of Musk's, per the Hill.

• "I served in the United States Navy for 25 years. I spent 15 years at NASA, risking my life flying the space shuttle," Kelly told Maddow. "And the only oath I can think of that maybe Elon has sworn is an oath to his own checking account, to his pocketbook, an oath, maybe, to ruining the lives of veterans."
• Kelly elaborated on the latter point in a conversation with reporters at the Capitol, complaining about the Department of Government Efficiency's cost-cutting measures, including at Veterans Affairs: "He's slashed and burned the federal government to make room for a giant tax cut for billionaires like himself."
• The public spat comes a week after President Trump and Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky had a contentious Oval Office meeting. Kelly has since accused the US president of "trying to weaken Ukraine's hand" in any future talks with Russia, and he said he saw firsthand on his trip how a pause in the sharing of US intelligence has weakened the nation's defenses, per Reuters.
• The New York Times notes that the pair have had public friction previously, as when Musk called Kelly a "Dem donor shill" last month while also criticizing Kelly's twin brother, Scott, also a former astronaut, as well as a third astronaut. "Hey @ElonMusk, when you finally get the nerve to climb into a rocket ship, come talk to the three of us," Kelly shot back.

(More Elon Musk stories.)