Rand Paul says he’s a ‘no’ vote on Mullin for DHS secretary

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said he does not plan to back Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

His remarks came after a blow up between the two during Mullin’s confirmation hearing in which Paul confronted Mullin for calling him a “snake” and saying he understood why Paul’s neighbor attacked him.

“No,” Paul said when asked if he would support Mullin.

“I think there are anger issues. I think there’s a lack of contrition, both about the violence that was perpetrated on me, really the violent episode he was involved in the Senate committee where he’s told the media, frankly, that he doesn’t regret it,” he said, noting the episode in which Mullin challenged Teamsters leader Sean O’Brien to a fight.

Paul said he thinks U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is at a critical junction where aggressive force needs to be checked.

“We shouldn’t settle personal questions with violence, I think that would be a terrible example for ICE and for our Border Patrol agents. We’re in the midst, I think, of a crisis where there needs to be more direction from the top, and a guy who brawls, a guy who can’t say sorry about initiating violence on me and really applauding the attack that happened on me, who can’t come to say that, I don’t know how in my opinion you’d be a leader of ICE.”

Paul also bashed Mullin for not taking the opportunity to apologize.

“I don’t think highly of people who think that that’s okay, and really, this is sort of a low par question. You would think that a nominee would come forward and say, ‘You know, I was angry at you over that vote,’”

“Even with him knowing this was going to come up, he couldn’t get an apology [out].” 

Paul’s no vote may not be enough to doom Mullin’s chances of being forwarded out of the committee, given that Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has said he plans to back Mullin.

The committee is set to meet Thursday morning to consider his nomination.

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