(LibertySons.org) – The routine business of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee became quite heated during a hearing on Tuesday, November 14. Sean O’Brien, General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, had testified and was taking questions from committee members when it became Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s (R-OK) turn. Before it was over, the GOP lawmaker had nearly come to blows with the union boss.
It seems O’Brien and Mullin have a history that has played out partly on social media. So when Mullin received his turn to question O’Brien, he didn’t focus on the Teamster leader’s presentation. Instead, Mullin asked whether O’Brien remembered a post on X, formerly Twitter, where he called the senator a “Greedy CEO” who should “Quit the tough guy act” in Congressional hearings.
Without waiting for an answer, he told O’Brien that if he insisted on publicly insulting the lawmaker, the two of them could “finish it” during the hearing. O’Brien agreed, “That’s fine. Perfect.”
At that point, Mullin rose and began taking off his wedding ring. When asked about that action, he later told CNN’s Dana Bash that his first thought when he stood was that he’d probably break his hand on O’Brien’s face, so he’d better remove his ring first.
As Mullin moved to stand, committee chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) shouted at him to “Sit down!” He reminded Mullin he was a US senator. Mullin did sit down, but he later gave Bash historical examples of Congress members who pointedly defended their honors, usually through duels but sometimes through outright violence.
Mullin told Bash that people must understand they are “responsible” for their words. He also equated defending one’s honor with calling out bullies and forcing them to take responsibility for their comments. Moreover, Mullin told Bash that pushing “back at a bully” will usually cause them to “shut their mouth.” He claimed it worked with O’Brien.
O’Brien seemed to see the situation differently, telling CNN’s Jake Tapper that Mullin was the bully.
~Here’s to Our Liberty!
Copyright 2023, LibertySons.org
