Mullin faces explosive DHS hearing as Rand Paul argues, Dem skepticism threatens path

Frustration, camaraderie and bad attitude questions dominated Sen.’s confirmation hearing. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., as the Senate races to confirm him to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The hearing, chaired by Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., began with a heated argument between himself and Mullin and ended with questions about whether the committee would hold a confirmation vote.

President Donald Trump tapped Mullin to replace outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. The Senate has little time to move forward with the process, as Trump has set a March 31 deadline to install Mullin as the next Homeland Security chief.

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Paul plans to oppose him, which means that unless Mullin can generate the support of Democrats on the panel, his nomination will be greatly reduced.

It’s been swift, explosive and devastating for the ongoing DHS shutdown, which entered its 33rd day Wednesday. Below are the best moments from the back-and-forth that will determine whether Mullin gets the job leading the troubled agency.

‘Tell me to my face’

The hearing quickly opened with a bang due to Mullin’s comments that Paul’s 2017 attack, which left him with several broken ribs and the removal of part of his lung, was “justifiable.”

Paul accused Mullin of never having “the courage to look me in the eye and tell me the beating was justified.”

“I’m just wondering if a person who applauds violence against his political opponents is the right person to lead an organization that has a problem accepting the limits of using power appropriately,” said Paul.

Mullin responded before opening his opening remarks, saying Paul called him a “liar,” and countered, “everyone in this room knows I’m blunt and straight and straight.”

“And if I want to say something, I will say it directly to your face. If you remember, in my House days, we had this conversation because of the words I said.”

“You were in the room. I just said that,” he continued. “I said that I understand, because of your behavior, that I understand why your neighbor did what he did.”

‘Those words should have been withdrawn’

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the panel’s top Democrat, pressed Mullin for his charge that Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota, was “a deranged person who came in to do a lot of damage.”

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., slammed Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., during his confirmation hearing to become the next DHS chief. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Can we expect these kinds of quick responses if you are confirmed as secretary?” Peters said. “Would you – in fact – be responding like Secretary Noem, are we going to expect the same behavior again?”

Mullin didn’t back down from Peters’ question.

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“Those words should have been withdrawn,” Mullin said. “I shouldn’t have said that. If I were the secretary, I wouldn’t. The investigation is still ongoing.”

“And there are – as I said – sometimes mistakes will be made, and I own that one. I got out of there very quickly. I was responding quickly without facts,” he continued. “That’s my fault. That can’t happen as a secretary.”

Fetterman breaks with the Dems

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is no stranger to lashing out at his party, and likely will do so again during Mullin’s confirmation vote.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., speaks to a reporter as he arrives at the U.S. Capitol to vote on Dec. 3, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

The two became friends during a congressional delegation trip and have maintained that relationship ever since.

And he realizes that he will probably be an important vote to confirm his colleague.

“I came here and I made a commitment to come here with an open mind, and I will continue to do that. It will not be about catch-up times for me. My experience with you has been consistent and I work professionally,” said Fetterman.

But Fetterman also took a moment to blast his party for continuing to block funding for DHS and noted that “he is the only Democrat who refuses to close our DHS.”

“It’s a weird commitment. I don’t understand why you would shut down an entire agency because you want those kinds of changes in ICE that have absolutely no impact on ICE and not enforce any of those things,” Fetterman said. “I refuse to do that.”

Mullin’s Secret Journey

Mullin’s dark journey while serving in the House almost derailed his expected confirmation vote on Thursday.

Peters questioned the attorney about undisclosed trips taken between 2015 and 2016 and charged that “quite frankly, as we’ve had these conversations, you’ve never come with me or this committee.”

“The story always seems to change, and as you know, speaking up, being honest, being transparent is very important, especially at this time, to try to build trust as secretary of Homeland Security,” Peters said.

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Paul asked Mullin to explain the trip in a different light and threatened to drop the trial otherwise.

“I’m still determined to vote tomorrow, but I can cancel tomorrow,” said Paul. “I’m still determined to vote, I’ll do this and I’ll be done.”

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Mullin argued that, as far as he knew, only four people knew the details of the trip, and he had no authority to tell Paul or Peters.

“I’d be more than happy to sit there and talk with you, because I don’t want you to have any questions or question my character in this,” Mullin said. “That’s too easy for me, but I can’t do that authorization. You know that.”