During his confirmation hearing Wednesday, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) was forced to watch a video compilation of himself exhibiting “low impulse control” and lobbing “machismo” threats of violence, a compilation queued up by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who lashed out at Mullin for his frequent violent rhetoric.
Mullin was tapped by President Donald Trump to replace outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was ousted earlier this month after facing mounting scrutiny over her handling of the agency’s often-violent immigration enforcement operations.
Before Mullin can assume the role, however, he must first appear before the Senate Homeland Security Committee for confirmation — a panel chaired by Paul, who has sharply criticized Mullin over past remarks that critics say appeared to condone a violent 2017 assault against the Kentucky senator.
“You offered no apology. And you offer no apology today and no regrets!” Paul said. “Haven't heard the word 'apologize,' hadn't heard the word 'regret,' haven't heard 'I misspoke, it was heated and I made a mistake.' I haven't heard any of those words.”
Mullin said he would not apologize for his past remarks, where he called Paul a “freaking snake” and said that he understood “completely” why someone would assault him.