Sen. John Fetterman crossed party lines on Thursday to save the nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Donald Trump’s pick to replace Kristi Noem as DHS secretary.
The Pennsylvania Democrat joined with Republicans — minus chairman Rand Paul — on the Senate Homeland Security Committee to vote for Mullin’s nomination, which advanced through committee by a vote of 8-7 on Thursday morning.
The committee chair opposed Mullin’s nomination over the Oklahoma senator’s refusal to either apologize for or, as Paul put it, “say to my face” remarks Mullin made that seemed to cheer on the brutal assault Paul suffered at the hands of a neighbor in 2017, leaving him seriously injured. Fetterman, meanwhile, called Mullin a “friend” in a tweet Thursday morning.
“In January, I called on the president to fire Noem — and he did. I truly approached the confirmation of my colleague and friend, Senator Mullin, with an open mind. We need a leader at DHS. We must reopen DHS. My AYE is rooted in a strong, committed, constructive working relationship with Senator Mullin for our nation’s security,” wrote the senator on X.
The post was immediately criticized by one of his Democratic colleagues from Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation, Brendan Boyle, who tweeted that Fetterman “needs to go” in response to his statement.
“Once again Sen Fetterman shows why he is Trump’s favorite Democrat,” wrote the congressman.
Mullin’s fate is now largely decided, and he’ll require a simple majority vote to pass the full Senate. Even with a handful of Republican defections, his nomination will likely pass.
The Oklahoma senator, a Republican, was selected by Trump earlier this month after the firing of Noem as the president’s DHS secretary. Noem’s handling of DHS has been under fire for months, both over her seemingly gratuitous use of the agency’s resources to boost her own public image (an issue that was apparent to even the White House) as well as the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good at the hands of immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis.
Noem, who made unfounded accusations about the two Americans slain by ICE and immigration agents after their deaths, was tapped to lead a new organization dubbed the “Shield of the Americas” which does not have a congressional mandate or funding stream. Her tenure at DHS was also marked by the unorthodox hiring of Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager, as her de facto chief of staff. The two were widely rumored to be romantically involved.
Mullin’s dispute with his Senate colleague blew up in February. At an event on Valentine’s Day in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mullin ripped into Paul as a “freaking snake” and accused him of working for Democrats.
“I respect Bernie Sanders because he’s an open socialist, and you know that he’s a communist so you know what you’re getting. Rand Paul’s a freaking snake. And I understand completely why his neighbor did what he did. And I told him that to his face,” Mullin said at the event.
That remark triggered a furious response from Paul at Wednesday’s hearing.
“Tell me to my face why you think I deserved it,” Paul, the committee chairman, told Mullin. “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.”
Mullin responded: “I’m not apologizing for pointing out your character,” adding, “I did not say I supported [the attack]. I said I understood it. There’s a difference.”
Fetterman, during his own allotted question time, declined to ask Mullin any policy-based questions and instead focused on highlighting a friendship the two men had developed during their time in the Senate.
"It's better to just let it all go and find a way forward,” Fetterman said, adding: "My experience with you has been constistent kindness and professionalism.”
His office declined to answer The Independent on Wednesday when asked if Mullin should apologize to Paul.
