Oklahoma Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) swore that the reason he would support Donald Trump's veto of the Defense Department spending bill is that he trusts the president to make decisions about the military. But when probed on the real reason, he struggled to answer.
Speaking to CNN's Dana Bash, Mullin was asked if the real reason was that his state voted overwhelmingly for Trump in the 2020 election.
"Are you worried about getting blowback from your constituents if you do that?" Bash asked.
"Keep in mind, Oklahoma went overwhelming for President Trump. They like his style and so do I," Mullin answered.
"So, you're worried about blowback from your constituents?" Bash asked.
"No, absolutely not," Mullin scrambled. "Not from my constituents at all. They like his management style and I agree with them. And like I said, he loves the military. I love the military. But he has his reasons to veto it and I'll support that."
Mullin also called elderly Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) like a "grandpa" to him. Inhofe is the one responsible for getting the bill passed through the House and Senate. Trump demanded that there be a provision in the bill that banned military bases from being able to rename them from Confederate soldiers who lost the war. He also wants a provision removed from communications laws governing social media companies so that he can sue Twitter and Facebook for things people say on the platforms instead of the individuals who said them.
While neither issue has anything to do with the military, Trump held up pay raises to service members by vetoing the bill. Mullin, who swears he "loves the military," is now agreeing to deny that pay to the military because of Trump's demands that have nothing to do with the military.
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