By AP
Washington D.C. – The Pentagon says Illinois Senate candidate Mark Kirk improperly mixed political activities with his military service. The Defense Department said last night that it has twice cautioned the Republican candidate about getting involved in politics while on active duty with the Navy Reserve. The department said one incident occurred in 2008 when Kirk gave interviews about the arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. And in July 2009, Kirk or a staff member posted on the candidate's Twitter account that he was on duty at the Pentagon's National Military Command Center. When this issue arose last week, the Kirk campaign denied that he had ever mixed politics with his Navy duties. Kirk is running against Democrat Alexi Giannoulias for the Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama.