U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has stated that he will not vote to confirm Senator Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., as head of the Department of Homeland Security due to concerns over Mullin’s anger issues.
In an interview, Paul detailed a 2017 incident when his neighbor assaulted him. “During the assault, I had six ribs broken,” Paul said. “Three of them snapped completely in half, rubbing together for months on end. My lung was damaged and I had multiple pneumonia. I ended up having part of my lung removed.”
“I don’t take it kindly when someone says, oh yeah, you kind of got what you deserved,” he added. “Well, he can hardly expect me to be supporting his candidacy when he seems to be justifying the political violence that happened to me.”
Paul also cited a moment during which Mullin threatened to fight someone in a Senate committee hearing. “He said that people deserved to be smashed and punched in the mouth,” Paul stated. “When he asked whether he would reject any of that, he said, ‘Well, we’ve had dueling and caning for a long time, and these are things we do in the Senate.'”
“Well, those things have been illegal for 170 years,” Paul noted. “I wonder with his anger issues and his justification of violence, whether or not he’s the best person or would set the best example for our ICE agents and Border Patrol agents.”
“What I worry about is when you’re chief of police or you’re in charge of the federal immigration police, they need to see an example from you,” Paul continued. “I don’t think it would be appropriate for the person in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to think brawling is acceptable and to reminisce fondly about duels and canings in the Senate.”
“Markwayne Mullin thinks there’s a historical precedent for why we sometimes have to use violence in the Senate,” Paul said. “That’s completely inexcusable.”
“It should make him unfit in anybody’s mind to lead ICE and CBP,” he stated.
“My fear is someone like Markwayne Mullin, who glorifies violence, will send the wrong message to ICE and CBP,” Paul added.
