A prominent Democratic senator has come under fire after evidence emerged that he is linked to an air ambulance company that has been accused of dropping surprise bills on customers in a price-gouging scheme, leading conservatives to call the senator out for hypocrisy.
For context, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) has been confirmed to hold non-public stock in Angel MedFlight, a privately held air ambulance company that also hired Kelly as a consultant, according to press accounts. In 2020, it was revealed that Angel MedFlight had been accused of surprising a patient with a $475,000 bill after that patient was transported to the hospital by air in June 2018, which led to intense scrutiny of Sen. Kelly’s involvement with the company.
Furthermore, concern about Kelly’s involvement with Angel Medflight was reportedly heightened when Arizona Senator Martha McSally zeroed in on the issue in campaign ads that featured oncologist Dr. Harry “Mo” Greene, who alleged, “Kelly served on the board of a medical transportation company that engaged in price gouging and surprise billing.”
In response to the criticism of his involvement with Angel MedFlight, Sen. Kelly’s campaign spokesperson told 12 News that his involvement with the company “had nothing to do with billing,” adding, “He provided his expertise as a pilot to provide input on aircraft operations, flight safety and air crew qualifications and staffing, as well as his personal experience dealing with a health care crisis that required this sort of emergency medical transportation.”
According to an NRSC press release from June 23, 2020, Sen. Kelly’s financial dealings had been inconsistent with his political platform, with NRSC spokesperson Joanna Rodriguez saying, “It seems Mark Kelly’s scripted talking points on health care never match up with how he’s made himself rich in the private sector,” Rodriguez added, “All it takes is a quick look at Kelly’s record to be exposed as a complete phony, and unfortunately for him, Arizonans will find out all about it.”
In addition, Chuck Bell, a high-level employee of Consumer Reports, responded to the scandal by explaining that air ambulance services are notoriously rife with insurance coverage issues, telling 12 News, “If they have no contract with your health insurance company… you are at their mercy for whatever they seek to charge you.”
More recently, Sen. Kelly drew more negative attention when he engaged in a public spat with Elon Musk on X on March 10, 2025, after Kelly returned to the U.S. from Ukraine and expressed support for continued American aid in a post on X. In response, Elon Musk simply replied, “You are a traitor,” prompting Sen. Kelly to announce that he was selling his personal Tesla.
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On March 14, 2025, Sen. Kelly declared that he was done with Tesla by sharing a post on X, saying, “I bought a Tesla because it was fast like a rocket ship. But now every time I drive it, I feel like a rolling billboard for a man dismantling our government and hurting people. So Tesla, you’re fired!”
Watch Mark Kelly declare that he’s had it with Tesla:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video