Top Republican opposes Trump’s Homeland nominee over inflammatory rhetoric

By Ted Hesson

WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) – U.S. Senator Rand Paul, the Republican chairman of a Senate panel weighing the nomination of President Donald Trump’s pick for homeland security, said on Wednesday he would oppose Trump’s nominee over “anger issues” and inflammatory remarks.

The nominee, Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, called Paul “a freaking snake” a month ago over political differences related to an agricultural bill and said he understood why Paul’s neighbor attacked him in a high-profile incident in 2017. Weeks later, Trump nominated Mullin to replace embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

At Mullin’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Paul lambasted him over the comments and stressed the importance of tamping down violent political rhetoric. Speaking with reporters afterward, Paul said he would vote against advancing Mullin’s nomination.

“I think there are anger issues,” Paul told reporters. “The fact that he can’t bring himself to say that, really, we shouldn’t settle political questions with violence, I think that would be a terrible example for ICE and for our Border Patrol agents.”

Trump fired Noem earlier this month after she was criticized by Republican lawmakers over her handling of Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown and management of the 260,000-person Department of Homeland Security. The Republican president then nominated Mullin, a businessman who spent a decade in the U.S. House of Representatives before becoming a senator in 2023, to take over the role.

Mullin’s nomination must be approved by the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 advantage over Democrats. First, he must be approved by the homeland committee, which has eight Republicans and seven Democrats. The committee is scheduled to vote on the nomination on Thursday.

One Democrat, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, said last week that he would back Mullin’s nomination, citing his immigration enforcement record. On Wednesday, Fetterman praised Mullin and said he would listen to his testimony “with an open mind.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters he expected Mullin’s nomination to be approved despite the friction with Paul.

As a member of the Cherokee Nation, Mullin would become the second Native American to serve as a cabinet member if confirmed.

CALL TO DISAVOW VIOLENCE

The quickly assembled confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee offered Mullin a chance to show how he would approach the job and to address lawmakers’ concerns over Noem’s management of the department, but was overshadowed by Paul’s opposition.

“I think it’s imperative now more than ever that the leaders in our country disavow violence and lead by example,” Paul said.

The Republican chairman cited Mullin’s comments saying he understood why Paul’s neighbor in Kentucky attacked him, an altercation that left him with broken ribs and a damaged lung.

“I understand completely why his neighbor did what he did,” Mullin said at a February 14 event in Tulsa, according to journalist David Arnett’s Substack.

Mullin did not apologize but asked that Paul give him a chance to prove himself.

“If you’re willing to set it aside, let me earn your respect,” Mullin said. “Let me earn the job. I won’t fail you.”

Paul also raised a 2023 incident where Mullin challenged the Teamsters President Sean O’Brien to a fight during a Senate hearing. Mullin said he and O’Brien, who sat behind him at the hearing, were now good friends.

 Democrats have blocked federal funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security since mid-February, saying they will not approve the money unless the Trump administration makes lasting changes to scale back aggressive immigration enforcement, complicating the nomination.

James Lankford, Oklahoma’s other Republican senator, praised Mullin as a hands-on leader equipped to tackle DHS’ wide-ranging mission, from border security to disaster response.

“I appreciate your willingness to be able to step up in a season where DHS needs a leader,” Lankford said.

QUESTIONS OVER CLASSIFIED FOREIGN TRAVEL

Trump, a Republican, surged federal agents into U.S. cities beginning in mid-2025 to make immigration arrests, with major operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, where masked officers employing militaristic tactics led to legal challenges and public criticism.

After federal immigration officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January – Renee Good and Alex Pretti – the Trump administration shifted its tone and said it would take a more targeted approach.

Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, the committee’s top Democrat, criticized Noem at the hearing for saying the U.S. citizens killed in Minneapolis had committed acts of domestic terrorism rather than calling for an investigation, and warned Mullin that a DHS secretary needed to have the right temperament.

At the time of Pretti’s shooting, Mullin similarly portrayed him as a threat despite video evidence that undercut that claim. He said Pretti was “a deranged individual” who had a loaded pistol and intended “to cause max damage,” during an interview with Fox News on January 24, the day Pretti was killed.

At the hearing, Mullin said he regretted those statements but declined to apologize.

Peters also grilled Mullin on travel to Azerbaijan and Georgia shown in FBI records but not disclosed to the committee. Mullin said he was asked to train with a very small group as part of a classified government trip in 2016, but declined to provide details.

Mullin agreed to speak with the committee’s lawmakers after the hearing in a secure room for handling classified information.

(Reporting by Ted Hesson; Additional reporting by Richard Cowan and David Morgan; Editing by Edmund Klamann and Nick Zieminski)