GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s confirmation hearing to lead the Homeland Security Department kicked off with an immediate criticism of his conduct by fellow Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the head of the committee that would approve his nomination.
“Its imperative now more than ever that the leaders in our country disavow violence and lead by example,” Paul said, then describing an attack that left him with six broken ribs.
Paul angrily charged that Mullin “went on to brag that you’d already told me to my face that you completely understood and approved of the assault. Well, that’s a lie. You got a chance today,” 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 [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and border patrol agents..”
Paul also went into detail about a recent interaction he had with Mullin. Mullin, who voted against a measure put forth by Paul related to funding of refugee welfare programs, described Paul as a “freaking snake” after receiving criticism for his vote. Mullin responded by reiterating that he did say he understood why Paul’s neighbor would have attacked him.
“I’ll come straight to you. I’ll say it publicly and I’ll say it privately, but I’ll never say it behind your back,” Mullin said. “We just don’t get along, however, sir, that doesn’t keep me at all from doing my job.”
Watch Paul’s opening statement:
Mullin said that he could set their differences aside if Paul agreed to.
“Let me earn your respect. Let me earn the job. I won’t fail you. I won’t back down from a challenge. And I also admit when I’m wrong,” Mullin said.
Mullin’s nomination would need to be approved by the committee before being voted on by the entire Senate, which would require more than one Republican voting against him.
President Trump selected Mullin for the post earlier this month after announcing that he would remove DHS Secretary Kristi Noem from running the agency and instead appoint her as Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, a regional coalition of Latin American countries.
The swap in leadership comes after a tumultuous few months at DHS. An immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota resulted in protests and the deaths of two U.S. citizens.
Noem faced bipartisan criticism for her handling of their deaths and oversight of immigration enforcement more broadly, as well as spending at the department and management of disaster relief. She becomes the first Cabinet secretary to leave the administration in Trump’s second term.
The agency is currently shut down as Democrats push for changes to how immigration officers operate. Over 100,000 employees are furloughed or working without pay, including those who have nothing to do with immigration, such as workers in the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Mullin is expected to face questions from the Homeland Security Committee about his response to the recent turmoil — as well as what tone he takes on mass deportations and internal oversight at DHS.
“How the Homeland Security Secretary responds to a crisis sends signals to everyone from the department’s own personnel, to the American people, and to the entire world,” the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Gary Peters, Mich., is set to say in his prepared opening remarks, which were shared with NPR. “It’s not the role of the secretary to be a cable news commentator in the wake of a crisis.”
Peters noted that while he is interested in learning more about Mullin’s vision for leading the department, he has reservations about Mullin’s “readiness to take on such a significant role at such a critical time.”
Trump’s post announcing Mullin’s nomination suggested his missive from the White House was largely in line with Noem’s approach.
“Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN,” Trump wrote.
Over a decade on the Hill
Mullin has spent over a decade on Capitol Hill. He was first elected to the House in 2012 and then the Senate in 2022.
Mullin’s nomination has received some support from a wide range of groups — including from Sean O’Brien, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union whom Mullin threatened to fight during a hearing.
“If anyone is willing to stand their butt up to protect America, it’s Markwayne Mullin,” O’Brien said in a statement.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis — who had lambasted Noem over disaster relief spending and immigration enforcement — called Mullin a “great guy and a great choice to lead DHS, restore competence, and refocus efforts on quickly distributing disaster aid, keeping the border secure, and targeting violent illegal immigrants for deportation.”
Democrats were generally united in their criticism.
“Kristi Noem slipped on the outrages of ICE. Will this Oklahoma Senator be any better?” Sen. Dick Durbin said in a statement. “We will find out as the Senate exercises its authority under the Constitution to provide advice and consent on this appointment.”
Mullin is also likely to face questions about his financial disclosures, the latest of which include the purchase of stock of UnitedHealth Group and sale of shares of Autozone and Intuit Inc., according to Capitol Trades, which tracks politicians’ financial transactions. Mullin is a frequent stock trader, and some lawmakers have sought to ban stock trading by politicians in order to raise accountability in Congress.
Mullin has defended Trump’s DHS
Mullin does not sit on either the Homeland Security or Judiciary committees, the two committees that deal most directly with immigration policy. But he has supported the president’s immigration agenda over the past year.
On the day that U.S. citizen Renee Macklin Good was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, Mullin said officers “are red-blooded American patriots doing a tough job to keep our nation safe” and accused Good of using her car as a weapon.
“If they’re investigating anything, they need to be investigating the paid protestors paying them to obstruct federal officers from doing their job,” Mullin said on CNN’s The Source.
He has echoed DHS claims that death threats against ICE agents are up 8,000%, a number DHS has not corroborated with specific data sets, and has supported the stripping of Temporary Protected Status for people from Somalia.
A final vote to approve his confirmation could take place as soon as next week.
