When Sen. Markwayne Mullin pitched himself to lawmakers Wednesday as the new head of the Department of Homeland Security, a partial shutdown had strained the agency for five weeks. A leadership crisis had also rocked DHS for months.
“I want to protect the homeland. I want to bring peace of mind,” said the Republican from Oklahoma. “I want to bring confidence back to the agency.”
First, his Senate peers need confidence in him. The hearing got off to a rocky start, launching with a blaze of fiery questions from Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has clashed with Mr. Mullin in the past. Other Republican senators defended Mr. Mullin, who has earned public support from Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
Why We Wrote This
Sen. Markwayne Mullin fielded fierce questions about his conduct from a fellow Republican during his confirmation hearing for Homeland Security secretary. Mr. Mullin offered a slightly more conciliatory tone on immigration enforcement than his predecessor.
Several themes emerged in the hearing, held before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Those included questions about Mr. Mullin’s character and candor, as evidenced by scrutiny of the senator’s temperament and lack of transparency around overseas travel a decade ago.
Committee Chairman Paul essentially challenged Mr. Mullin, a former wrestler, to a verbal cage match over the nominee’s past outbursts.
“Explain to the American public why they should trust a man with anger issues to set the proper example for ICE and Border Patrol agents,” said Senator Paul.
Senator Paul recalled that Mr. Mullin had once called him a “snake,” and that Mr. Mullin said he’d understood why the chairman had been assaulted in 2017 by a neighbor.
“I did not say I supported [the attack]. I said I understood it,” said Mr. Mullin. “We can have our differences.”
GOP Sen. James Lankford, on the other hand, boosted the image of his fellow Oklahoman. He recalled how Mr. Mullin, a former plumbing business owner, once tried to tamp down a spout of water in a disaster zone after a 2013 tornado.
“He’s a guy that doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty to actually go solve the problem,” said Mr. Lankford.
The committee also got glimpses of the senator’s thoughts on policy. Mr. Mullin said the Federal Emergency Management Agency, run by DHS, should be restructured, but not scrapped. He affirmed his support for judicial warrants to forcibly enter homes “unless we’re pursuing someone” – a departure from a policy that DHS introduced last year. And he showed willingness to examine the local impacts of new immigration facilities, which have faced backlash from several communities nationwide.
Mr. Mullin also offered limited contrition around his response to the killings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis – by DHS agents and officers he may soon oversee. The senator said he regretted calling Alex Pretti, one of the slain citizens, a “deranged individual” who meant to “cause max damage.”
“I was responding immediately without the facts. That’s my fault,” said Mr. Mullin, who stopped short of apologizing to the Pretti family. (If proven wrong after an investigation, he said, “then I will absolutely.”)
Confusion emerged around what level of official travel, from years ago, Mr. Mullin needed to disclose in the nomination process.
Mr. Mullin’s account of his travels seems to keep changing, said Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan. “Candor, honesty, transparency are absolutely critical, particularly at this time, to try to build trust as the secretary of Homeland Security,” he said.
Calling certain travel “classified,” Mr. Mullin repeatedly declined to expound on details, and said he complied with disclosure instructions. Though he’s not a military veteran, Mr. Mullin has reportedly made past references to the “smell” of war, along with “special assignments” abroad.
Before the hearing adjourned, Senator Paul called for committee members to reconvene later on Wednesday with the nominee in a classified setting. The committee is expected to vote on Mr. Mullin’s nomination tomorrow, which could then move to the fuller Senate. The Senate still appears likely to confirm the nominee.
President Donald Trump fired Kristi Noem as DHS secretary earlier this month, amid swirling concerns of conflicts of interest tied to her leadership. The president called Mr. Mullin, his nominee to replace her, a “MAGA Warrior.”
Mr. Mullin did affirm his loyalty to the president, whom the senator considers a friend. He did not explicitly confirm that Joe Biden won the presidential election in 2020, instead acknowledging that Mr. Biden had been sworn in.
Sen. Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat, asked the nominee if he would “follow the law or follow the president’s direction” if Mr. Trump asked him to take an illegal action.
“The president would never ask me to do that,” Mr. Mullin replied.
