From PBS NewsHour.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., President Donald Trump’s new pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, suggested in a confirmation hearing Wednesday that he regretted calling a Minnesota protester who was killed by government agents “a deranged individual.”

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., asked Mullin if he would make those kinds of “quick responses” as DHS secretary.

“I should have said that, and as secretary, I wouldn’t,” Mullin said.

“There’s some times I’m going to make a mistake and I’ll own it. That one went out there too fast. I was responding immediately without facts. That’s my fault. That won’t happen as secretary,” he added.

After Minnesota nurse Alex Pretti was killed by federal immigration agents in Minnesota in January, Mullin said on Fox News he was “a deranged individual who came in to cause massive damage.” An investigation into Pretti’s death is ongoing.

On Wednesday, Mullin did not apologize to Pretti’s family, saying he would apologize if he’s “proven wrong” by the investigation.

Trump tapped Mullin to take over the embattled agency from Kristi Noem, who was fired earlier this month after her leadership came under bipartisan scrutiny during tense congressional hearings.

Mullin was elected to Congress in 2012 and has branded himself as a businessman and a Washington outsider. As Homeland Security secretary, Mullin, a former business owner, would take charge of one of the biggest government agencies, leading the nation’s disaster response, counterterrorism efforts, border security and the president’s mass deportation agenda.

A former mixed martial arts fighter who once challenged the Teamsters president to a fight during a Senate hearing, Mullin has pledged to stay “focused on protecting the homeland" if he is confirmed.

The Republican Party is considering a pivot on how it approaches immigration enforcement as more voters grow concerned over DHS agents’ aggressive tactics, which has led to the shooting deaths of at least three U.S. citizens since Trump retook office.

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