From PBS NewsHour.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, made an opening statement Wednesday in a confirmation hearing for Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., President Donald Trump’s new pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
Paul detailed numerous occasions he has been exposed to political violence across his career before turning back to Mullin and recalling a time when the Oklahoma senator had called him a "freaking snake" and had said an assault on Paul was justified.
"I was shocked that you would justify and celebrate this violent assault that caused me so much pain and my family so much pain. I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force," Paul said.
"Tell the world why you believe I deserve to be assaulted from behind, have six ribs broken and a damaged lung," he continued. "Tell me to my face, why you think I deserved it . And while you’re at it, 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. Explain to the American public how a man who has no regrets about brawling in a Senate committee can set a proper example for over 250,000 men and women who work at the Department of Homeland Security."
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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