WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. senators look ready to replace Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Sen. Markwayne Mullin, even as many privately admit Sen. Rand Paul’s "vicious" dissection of their colleague during his confirmation hearing wasn't wrong.
While Republican senators are prepared to approve Mullin’s nomination, that doesn’t mean they want to discuss the spat publicly.
"It was pretty vicious, but I'll tell you what I saw was Rand kept his cool," a senior Republican told Raw Story on background because he was afraid to share his actual thoughts publicly. "I'm not going to comment at all.”
Still, the public brawl reverberated through the U.S. Capitol after Homeland Security Committee Chair Paul highlighted Mullin calling him a “freaking snake” after Paul’s neighbor attacked him, breaking his ribs in 2017.
"In my time in Congress, rarely have I seen such an intense exchange between two members of the same party, especially in the United States Senate. Clearly, both of them are very strong-willed, very confident in their point of view and perspective and their memory," Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), one of six of Mullin’s home state colleagues in Congress, told Raw Story. "It was just fascinating."
Fascinating to some, awkward for many.
That got awkward
Rand Paul is the Senate’s libertarian-leaning gadfly, effectively a caucus of one who regularly votes against his own Republican Party leaders on issues like deficit spending and foreign military operations.
Many Republicans were surprised to hear the attack from Paul’s neighbor left him in excruciating pain from broken ribs, but, more so, that political attacks from Republicans like Mullin continue to sting Kentucky’s junior senator.
“I wasn't aware of that personal history,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) told Raw Story. “So yeah, personal things, it's pretty ugly. It's the first I've heard of it. I try to stay out of those personal things.”
Most other Republicans have been trying to stay away from the tiff since it boiled into public view Wednesday morning, too.
“What's your take on Rand?” Raw Story asked Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS).
“Well, I'm reminded of what my mom would say, 'if you don't have something good to say about somebody, don't say it.' And you know, those rules we learned in kindergarten still apply up here as well,” Marshall told Raw Story. “So obviously it's a conversation at the emotional level, and it's very important."
“Do you get along with Rand Paul?” Raw Story pressed.
“Absolutely. He's a doctor, I'm a doc, and, yeah, he's a good friend,” Marshall said. "I respect him, and he's very consistent. And he's true to his cause. He really believes what he says and does."
With President Donald Trump having nominated Mullin, most Republican senators appear ready to swiftly approve him to replace Noem.
Many even say the heated hearing showed Mullin being the Mullin they want heading the nation’s Homeland Security Department.
“Showed the human side, showed what kind of person he is, showed the kind of relationships he's had with Republicans and Democrats alike,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) told Raw Story.
“What’d you make of Rand Paul?” Raw Story pressed.
“Well, they're obviously not BFFs, are they?” Johnson said.
“What about Rand Paul's critique, though?” Raw Story pushed. “This is a guy who can't apologize?”
“That's a personal situation,” Johnson said. “I'm not going to get involved in that.”
Johnson’s far from alone.
When asked about the public spat unbecoming of what was formerly hailed as the most deliberative body in the world, many Republicans joined Mullin in shrugging it off.
“It's clear the two of them don't like each other,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told Raw Story. “There's no ambiguity on that.”
“It's just a process,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) told Raw Story. “I mean, just going through the process.”
On the other side of the Capitol, Republicans who don’t get to vote on Mullin’s nomination say they can see it both ways.
"I know from having served with Markwayne in the House — I suspect the case in the United States Senate is the same — members have an insight into the nature of each other that no one on the outside can have. I never impugn the opinions of my colleagues," Rep. Lucas of Mullin’s home state of Oklahoma told Raw Story. "So maybe there was a little bit of truth in what they both had to say."
The battle royale on C-SPAN seems to have also rendered Mullin mute.
“Is Rand Paul a jack--?” Raw Story asked the nominee after the hearing.
Mullin grinned, shrugged and said nothing.
“You didn’t say ‘no,’” Raw Story pointed out.
Mullin also didn’t stop grinning.
