A Senate confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security turned contentious from the outset.
Sen. Rand Paul, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, confronted Sen. Markwayne Mullin, citing a report that Mullin had called him a “snake” after Paul was assaulted by a neighbor in 2020.
"Tell it to my face. Tell the world why you believe I deserved to be assaulted from behind, have six ribs broken, and a damaged lung. Tell me to my face why you think I deserved it," Paul told Mullin on Wednesday.
"I did not say I supported it. I said I understood it," Mullin said.
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Following the meeting, Paul said he would not vote to confirm Mullin, putting his nomination in jeopardy.
Trump tapped Mullin to replace Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. She has faced bipartisan criticism over her handling of two shootings involving immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota that resulted in the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Both Noem and Mullin made disparaging comments about Pretti following the January incident. The day after Pretti was fatally shot, Mullin told Fox News that he was a "deranged individual who came in to cause massive damage."
On Wednesday, Mullin conceded that those comments should not have been made and he would not make those types of comments as DHS secretary.
As to whether he would apologize to Pretti's family, he said, "I haven't seen the investigation, we'll let the investigation go through, and if I'm proven wrong, then I will, absolutely."
The leadership change at DHS comes amid a department shutdown, as Congress has yet to agree on a spending bill. The lapse has left thousands of employees in DHS agencies — including the Transportation Security Administration — without paychecks.
Democrats continue to call for significant policy changes on immigration enforcement before agreeing to fund DHS. Their proposals include requiring ICE agents to operate without masks, showing identification, and avoiding enforcement activities near “sensitive locations” such as hospitals and schools.
Republicans have largely opposed these proposals.
Another assurance Democrats want is that immigration enforcement officers use judicial warrants and not administrative warrants when going onto private property to conduct arrests.
"We will not enter a home or a place of business without a judicial warrant unless we're pursuing the individual that runs into a place of business or a resident or a or a house," Mullin said.
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Mullin also faced questioning on Wednesday about the future of FEMA. Trump has suggested he would substantially reduce the federal government’s role in responding to natural disasters, a policy Noem supported.
He told senators that he supports FEMA being restructured, but not eliminated, a position that could put him at odds with President Trump.
A vote in the Homeland Security Committee could come as soon as Thursday. If Mullin’s nomination fails to advance, there is still a path for him to be considered by the full Senate. Majority Leader John Thune could bypass the committee and bring the nomination directly to the floor.
