RINO Sen. Rand Paul is currently trying to thwart Markwayne Mullin’s nomination for DHS Secretary.
At Mullin’s confirmation hearing today, Sen. Paul brought up some personal beef between the two.
You see, Markwayne Mullin has referred to Rand Paul as being a “snake in the grass” in the past (he’s not wrong…)
Mullin also said he “understood” why Rand Paul’s neighbor attacked him back in 2017.
While being pressed on his previous comments regarding Rand Paul’s character, Mullin remained unapologetic.
Watch how Mullin (brilliantly) answered Sen. Paul’s questions here:
'NO APOLOGY': Senators Rand Paul and Markwayne Mullin get into a heated exchange at Mullin's confirmation hearing to become the next Secretary of Homeland Security.
Rand Paul calls out Mullin for his past comments on the attack that left the Kentucky senator hospitalized, to… pic.twitter.com/0qD7MAq9qW
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 18, 2026
‘NO APOLOGY’: Senators Rand Paul and Markwayne Mullin get into a heated exchange at Mullin’s confirmation hearing to become the next Secretary of Homeland Security.
Rand Paul calls out Mullin for his past comments on the attack that left the Kentucky senator hospitalized, to which Mullin says he ‘understood’ why Paul was attacked, though clarifying he does not support the violence.
PAUL: “You offer no apology today and no regrets. Haven’t heard the word apologize. Haven’t heard the word regret. Haven’t heard ‘I misspoke.'”
MULLIN: “I’m not apologizing for pointing out your character.”
Sen. Paul also took issue with Markwayne Mullin — who is a former MMA fighter — telling a union leader to “stand your butt up” and fight him during a Senate hearing three years ago.
But, Mullin handled Paul’s questioning very well, flipping the script back on him!
The Hill shared more details on the tense exchange between Paul and Mullin:
The beef between the two men stems from comments Mullin made after Paul was attacked by his neighbor.
Paul said Mullin made the comments when confronted by constituents rather than defend a vote.
“Instead of explaining your vote to continue these welfare programs for refugees, you decide to transfer the blame. You told the media that I was a ‘freaking snake’ and that you completely understood why I had been assaulted. I was shocked it would justify and celebrate this violent assault that caused me so much pain and my family so much pain,” Paul said in his opening remarks at Mullin’s confirmation hearing.
“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.”
The awkward relationship between the two was noted as soon as Mullin was nominated by President Trump to lead the DHS, though Paul had been coy about how he planned to handle the matter.
On Wednesday, he spoke to the matter directly.
“You chose to lash out at me. You went on to brag that you’d already told me to my face that you completely understood and approved of the assault. Well, that’s a lie. You got a chance today. You can either continue to lie or you can correct the record,” Paul said.
“You have never had the courage to look me in the eye and tell me that the assault was justified, so today you’ll have your chance. Today I’ll give you that chance to clear the record. Tell it to my face, if that’s what you believe. Tell it to me today. Tell the world why you believe I deserve to be assaulted from behind. Have six ribs broken and a damaged lung. Tell me to my face why you think I deserved it,” he added.
ADVERTISEMENTPaul went on to address another confrontation: Mullin’s past threats during a 2023 hearing to fight Teamsters union president Sean O’Brien, with the senator telling the union leader to “stand your butt up” for a physical fight.
“And while you’re at it,” Paul added, “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,” he said, referencing U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“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 Department of Homeland Security.”
Mullin addressed Paul at the top of his opening statement, saying Paul seems to work against the GOP more than he works with them.
“I have to address the remarks the chairman made, calling me a liar. Sir, I think everybody in this room knows that I’m very blunt and direct to the point, and if I have something to say, I’ll say it directly to your face. If you recall back in my House days we actually did have this conversation. … I simply addressed that. I said I could understand, because of the behavior you were having, that I can understand why your neighbor did what he did. As far as my terms ‘snake in the grass,’ sir, I work around this room to try to fix problems. I’ve worked with many people in this room. Seems like you fight Republicans more than you work with us,” Mullin said.
“And as far as me saying that I invoke violence — I don’t think anybody should be hit by surprise. I don’t like that. But if I do have something to say, everybody in this room knows. I’ll come straight to you, I’ll say it publicly and I’ll say it privately, but I’ll never say it behind your back. So for you to say I’m a liar, sir, that’s not accurate.”
Mullin said he hopes they can get past the “political differences we have” and said “I’ve had to really pray about my attitude.”
Following today’s hearing, Sen. Rand Paul told reporters that he will be voting “no” on Markwayne Mullin’s confirmation, citing his “anger issues.”
Watch:
🚨 JUST IN: Rand Paul confirms he will NOT vote to confirm Markwayne Mullin for DHS Secretary
Paul says Mullin’s “anger issues” would “be a terrible example for ICE and Border Patrol.”
However, FETTERMAN has signaled his support for Mullin, meaning he will likely be CONFIRMED pic.twitter.com/YmNrmwwrxl
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 18, 2026
Sen. Paul further explained the reasons why he will vote against Mullin’s confirmation in an appearance on Fox News:
🚨 JUST NOW: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) doubles down on trying to tank Markwayne Mullin's nomination as DHS Secretary
"I went through hell! Anyone who thinks that's commendable is unfit to lead law enforcement!"
"It's not just that, it's him jumping up saying he'd fight somebody… pic.twitter.com/Vnm8pcDIX9
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 18, 2026
JUST NOW: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) doubles down on trying to tank Markwayne Mullin’s nomination as DHS Secretary
“I went through hell! Anyone who thinks that’s commendable is unfit to lead law enforcement!”
“It’s not just that, it’s him jumping up saying he’d fight somebody there.”
Despite Paul’s relentless opposition, Democrat JOHN FETTERMAN would cancel out his vote and get him confirmed.
In doing so, Rand Paul is only proving Mullin’s point that he tends to fight Republicans more than working with his own party…
But, I digress.
Thankfully, Sen. Paul’s efforts to prevent Markwayne Mullin from becoming the next DHS Chief are all in vain…because it looks like Democrat Sen. John Fetterman is planning to join Republicans in voting to confirm Mullin.
Sen. Fetterman signaled that he is a “yes” vote in this clip:
🚨 JUST IN: Democrat Sen. John Fetterman announces he will vote to confirm Sen. Markwayne Mullin as DHS Secretary.
"I want to work with him and I've had a great conversation with him."pic.twitter.com/vE30umrBzr
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) March 16, 2026
Senate Leader John Thune is also confident that the Senate has the votes needed to confirm Markwayne Mullin as DHS Secretary — even without Rand Paul.
Politico shared Thune’s comments on Paul’s attempt to tank the confirmation:
“Those two obviously have some history, and it’s, you know, personal stuff,” Thune said. “They’ve got to work through it. I mean, in the end, this is about the job, and it’s about making sure that we got the right person there. I think Markwayne is the right person for the job.”
ADVERTISEMENTAsked if he was still confident Mullin can be confirmed, Thune said, “Yeah.”
Paul has scheduled a committee vote on Mullin for Thursday. While Paul’s vote is in serious doubt, Mullin could win over Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who has expressed support for Mullin previously and said Wednesday he would approach the nomination “with an open mind.”
“I haven’t been rocked by some mic-dropping kind of moments,” Fetterman told reporters after the hearing.
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