Mullin refused to apologize to his Republican colleague during the tense nomination hearing after previously saying he "understood" why Paul's neighbor assaulted him and left him with six broken ribs
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NEED TO KNOW
- Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin immediately faced friction during a Senate confirmation hearing for his nomination to replace Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem
- Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a fellow Republican, needled Mullin for previously saying he “understood” why Paul was violently assaulted by his neighbor in 2017
- Mullin refused to apologize even as Paul gave him multiple opportunities and described the significant damage he suffered in the assault, including six broken ribs and a damaged lung
President Donald Trump’s pick to replace the embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced some new battles of his own from within the Republican Party, as he seeks to reassure his Senate colleagues that he is the right man for the job.
Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who Trump tapped as Noem's replacement after her poor performance in congressional hearings earlier this month, was immediately put on defense on Wednesday, March 18, as he appeared for his Senate confirmation hearing.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a libertarian-leaning Republican who chairs the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee, gaveled in the hearing by needling Mullin about his past comments making light of a violent assault on Paul that left him hospitalized in 2017.
At a recent town hall in Tulsa, Okla., Mullin, 48, called Paul, 63, a “freaking snake” over the Kentucky senator’s tendency to buck his party and work counter to Trump’s desires on some issues, adding, “I understand completely why his neighbor did what he did,” according to a local Tulsa journalist.
Mullin claimed at the town hall that he told Paul as much “to his face,” but Paul denied that conversation ever occurred on Wednesday.
Mullin — who, if confirmed by the Senate, would be tasked with running the Department of Homeland Security and its agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Transportation Security Administration — declined repeated opportunities to apologize and reiterated he “could understand why” Paul’s neighbor attacked him.
“I’m not apologizing for pointing out your character,” Mullin said after Paul pressed him for an apology or further explanation. “I did not say I supported it, I said I understood it. There’s a difference.”
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The Kentucky senator described the 2017 assault as “political violence” and said it resulted in six broken ribs, extreme pain, trouble breathing, pneumonia, part of his lung being surgically removed and a weeklong hospital stay to remove fluid from his chest cavity.
“Tell it to my face if that’s what you believe, tell it to me today, tell the world why you believe I deserved to be assaulted from behind and have six ribs broken and a damaged lung,” Paul said. “And while you’re at it, explain to the American public why they should trust a man with anger issues to set the proper example for ICE and Border Patrol agents.”
Paul played a tape of an argument between Mullin and Teamsters President Sean O’Brien in November 2023 during a Senate hearing that resulted in the two men yelling at each other to “get your butt up” and threatening to physically fight. An aggravated Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was forced to intervene at the time, chastising Mullin to “sit down. You’re a United States senator.”
On Wednesday, Mullin said he and O’Brien had since made amends, and he noted that the labor leader, who was one of the few union presidents to endorse Trump in 2024, was positioned behind the nominee while he testified in a show of support.
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Mullin tried to defend his comments challenging O’Brien to a fight, and his suggestion that “sometimes people just need to be punched in the face” in the aftermath of their showdown, by arguing that “dueling with two consenting adults” is still technically legal in the Senate rules.
“It has been illegal for 170 years, there’s no precedent for legal dueling,” Paul pointed out, accurately. Mullin dismissed the concerns.
“Mr. Chairman, you’re going to have your opinion, I’m going to have mine,” Mullin told Paul. “As the secretary of homeland security, I’m going to bring peace of mind and security to this country.”
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