Markwayne Mullin dodged a slew of pointed, personal questions during his confirmation hearing for the post of Secretary of Homeland Security on Wednesday.
The Republican senator from Oklahoma defended the policies of Donald Trump, calling the president “a friend,” in the midst of a grilling from his fellow lawmakers.
Trump tapped Mullin for the job following the ouster of Kristi Noem. Mullin has been a staunch loyalist for Trump. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called Mullin “extraordinarily qualified” for the role shortly after Noem was fired.
Facing the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Mullin ran into trouble straightaway. Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky, laid into Mullin for questioning Paul’s loyalty to the Republican Party. Mullin has called Paul ” a freaking snake” for breaking with Trump on key issues. He added that he empathized with a neighbor of Paul’s who assaulted the senator in 2017.
“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?” Paul asked.
Mullin refused to apologize for “pointing out [Paul’s] character.” Following the hearing, Paul called Mullin’s refusal to apologize “unacceptable.”
Throughout the hearing, Mullin showed his loyalty to Trump. When asked who won the 2020 election, Mullin sidestepped the question, responding that “President Joe Biden was sworn into office.”
“I’m not here to debate what happened in 2020,” he said.
Mullin was pressed on comments he made about two protestors who were killed by DHS agents in Minneapolis earlier this year. Mullin had referred to Alex Pretti, a nurse who was shot in the back while agents had him pinned to the ground, as a “deranged individual” bent on causing “max damage.”
“Those words probably should’ve been retracted. I shouldn’t have said that. I regret those statements,” Mullin said.
Mullin maintained that the killing of Renee Good was “justified.” Good was killed while attempting to drive away from ICE agents in Minneapolis. Mullin said that Good’s car was a “lethal weapon” and that the officer “had to make a split[-second] decision.”
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Mullin stressed the need for restore DHS funding, telling senators he would lead the department in a way that avoided national headlines. Notably, Mullin said he would “cooperate” in an inspector general probe into Noem’s time as DHS secretary.
“My goal at six months is that we’re not in the lead story every single day. My goal is for people to understand we’re out there. We’re protecting them,” he said.
