‘Temperament matters’: Senators question Homeland Security nominee at confirmation hearing

WASHINGTON- At a Senate hearing Wednesday to consider the confirmation of Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma) as secretary of Homeland Security, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kent.) began by asking whether “a man with anger issues” can set a good example for federal immigration officials.

Mullin, President Trump’s pick to replace Secretary Kristi Noem, faced tough questions before the Senate Homeland Security Committee about how he would carry out the administration’s mass deportation effort and how he would lead the agency following the controversies that led to Noem’s firing earlier this month.

For his part, Mullin said he would work to keep the country safe as well as “bring peace of mind and confidence to the agency.”

“My goal in six months is that we’re not in the news every day,” he said.

Throughout the hearing, Democrats took digs at Noem while examining Mullin’s character and ability to lead the nation’s largest law enforcement agency. Most Republicans described Mullin as a good man and hard worker, while chastising Democrats for punishing federal workers by continuing to withhold funding for Homeland Security.

The leadership shakeup comes amid renewed scrutiny over increasingly violent immigration tactics since last year, which intensified after the shooting deaths of two protesters in Minneapolis by immigration agents, which Noem — without evidence — called domestic terrorism.

She was fired days after testifying before congressional oversight committees, during which she was criticized by Republicans and Democrats alike.

“It is not the secretary’s role to be a cable news commentator in the wake of a crisis,” said Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.). “It’s a role where temperament matters, where judgment matters and where experience matters.

“We have seen under Secretary Noem’s leadership how gaps in these traits can compound the challenges that already accompany leading a large and complex department, and now more than ever, we need a DHS Secretary who is a steady hand, who will provide thoughtful leadership, follow the facts, tell the truth, and hold agency leaders accountable when they need it.”

Paul brought up incidents to illustrate why Mullin is unfit for the job, including a time in 2023 when he nearly got into a fight in a Senate hearing room and more recently when Mullin called Paul a “fucking snake.”

Paul also confronted Mullin for saying he “completely understood” why Paul was attacked by a neighbor in 2017, which left him with six broken ribs and a damaged lung.

Mullin did not apologize for his remarks and instead accused Paul of defaming his character.

“I’ve worked with a lot of people in this room,” Mullin told Paul. “It seems like you’re fighting the Republicans more than you’re working with us. »

But Mullin added that their personal differences wouldn’t stop him from doing his job — “it’s bigger than partisan bickering” — and asked Paul to let him earn her respect.

Paul seemed impassive. Referring to the 2023 close fight with Sean O’Brien, the head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Paul asked Mullin to “explain to the American public how a man who has no regrets about brawling in a Senate committee can set a good example.”

Mullin was ready for the moment: O’Brien was sitting behind him. The union president, he said, became a close friend.

“We both agreed that we could have done things differently,” Mullin said.