Markwayne Mullin Threatens to Bite His Next Victim
Senator Markwayne Mullin is apparently out for blood in his ongoing feud with a union boss.
The freshman congressman has taken to conservative political talk shows, refusing to give up a fight he had sparked with International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, a Senate committee witness, during a Tuesday hearing.
On one show, Mullin claimed that he “wasn’t afraid of biting” O’Brien if the moment called for it.
“I’ll bite 100 percent. In a fight, I’m gonna bite. I’ll do anything. I’m not above it. And I don’t care where I bite by the way,” Mullin, a former mixed martial arts fighter, told podcast host Kyle Thompson on Wednesday’s episode of Undaunted.Life.
Markwayne Mullin: And by the way, I’m not afraid of biting. I will bite.
— danny (@dabbs346) November 15, 2023
Q: Biting?
Mullin: I’ll bite 100%. In a fight, I’m gonna bite. I’ll do anything. I’m not above it. And I don’t care where I bite by the way. pic.twitter.com/P0ul9fhafv
From Mullin’s perspective, these altercations are a part of representing the people of Oklahoma. In an interview with Fox’s Hannity on Tuesday evening, Mullin claimed his constituents would be “pretty upset” with him for failing to represent “Oklahoma values.”
Mullin says if he didn’t challenge Senate witnesses to fist fights, the people of Oklahoma would be upset with him pic.twitter.com/VdfKs8MYud
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 15, 2023
While consensual fighting, also known as mutual combat, is a legal pathway for conflict resolution in some areas of the country like Texas and Washington state, it’s not in D.C., where Mullin and O’Brien would more likely be charged with assault and battery. It’s also a strange method of conflict resolution in the middle of a Senate hearing.
Mullin hasn’t given up hope that there might still be precedent on Capitol Hill, however.
“We looked into the rules. You used to be able to cane. You gotta remember, President Andrew Jackson challenged nine guys to a duel and won nine times,” Mullin told Newsmax’s Carl Higbie.
“And so at the end of the day, there is presence [sic] for it, if that’s what someone wants to do,” Mullin added.
Question: Are there any actual senate rules— could you guys go bare knuckle?
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 14, 2023
Mullin: We looked into the rules. You used to be able to cane. Andrew Jackson challenged 9 guys to a duel.. And so at the end of the day, there is presence for it pic.twitter.com/zznZbVYtHH
The fight began Tuesday during a Senate committee hearing, when Mullin read aloud social media posts that O’Brien had made about the Oklahoma Republican online, including snubbing him as a “clown” and a “fraud,” though the initial confrontation ended abruptly after Senator Bernie Sanders scolded the pair.