Kentucky Sen.Rand Paul is the first Republican to declare he will vote against confirming fellow senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) as the new head of the Department of Homeland Security. In a tense Wednesday hearing before the Homeland Security Committee, senators pressed Mullin on his record, his support for Donald Trump and his policies, his classified travel, and how he would differentiate his management of the department from his predecessor, Kristi Noem.
Paul, who chairs the committee, got personal. During his opening statements, he confronted Mullin over past comments regarding an incident in which Paul was brutally beaten by his neighbor, resulting in five broken ribs and a partial lung excision.
“You told the media that I was a ‘freaking snake’ and that you completely understood why I had been assaulted,” Paul said. “I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force.”
“You have never had the courage to look me in the eye and tell me that the assault was justified,” he added. “Today, I’ll give you that chance to clear the record. Tell it to my face, if that’s what you believe.… Tell the world why you believe I deserve to be assaulted from behind.… 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.”
Mullin responded that he had tried to reach out to Paul before the hearing, but that Paul had been unwilling to “engage.”
“You offered no apology. And you offer no apology today, and no regrets,” Paul countered.
Mullin responded that he was “not apologizing for pointing out your character,” adding: “I did not say I supported it. I said I understood it, there’s a difference.”
Mullin was a surprise pick to take over the department after Trump booted Noem from the post earlier this month following a series of disastrous blunders by the DHS and a growing pile of scandals. While Mullin is generally well-liked within the Senate, he has little experience in the realm of immigration and law enforcement, and, as Paul put it, may have some “anger issues.”
Paul made a point to press Mullin on some of these issues, particularly a 2024 incident in which he threatened to physically fight Teamsters President Sean O’Brein during a Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing. Paul played video of the incident — as well as subsequent interviews Mullin gave about it — and questioned if the nominee thought that “fighting as a resolution for political differences [was] a good example for the men and women of ICE and Border Patrol.”
Mullin countered that he and O’Brien had since resolved their differences, noting that O’Brien was present as his guest in Wednesday’s hearing. “I don’t believe in political violence. I’ve made that very clear,” Mullin said, saying that Paul’s supposed concern was actually about character assasination.
Mullin then defended several statements he made at the time about the legality and historic precedent of dueling in the Senate. “What I was simply pointing out is some of the rules that still apply to this body. For instance, dueling [between] two consenting adults is still there.”
“It’s been illegal for 170 years! There’s no precedent for legal dueling, even then they fled the country,” Paul countered.
While Paul has said he will be withholding his confirmation vote, telling Fox News that he might have considered changing his mind had Mullin offered an apology, but that Mullin’s seeming acceptance of the attack against Paul made him “unfit” to hold office.
Senate leadership seems unconcerned with his rebellion. Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told Politico that he is confident Mullin will be confirmed, and that the two men had “to work through it. I mean, in the end, this is about the job, and it’s about making sure that we got the right person there. I think Markwayne is the right person for the job.”
Mullin may need to meet with lawmakers again to resolve lingering concerns — and perhaps mollify Paul — before his nomination is advanced out of the Senate committee and put before the full Senate for a vote. With Republicans holding a 53-vote majority, a single defection is unlikely to tank the nomination.
