Senate Mullin DHS Hearing Highlights Rand Paul Clash Over Political Violence Remarks and Temper
At his March 18 Senate Homeland Security confirmation hearing, Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin — President Trump’s nominee to replace Kristi Noem — was sharply confronted by committee chair Sen. Rand Paul over past comments and incidents suggesting tolerance for violence, with Paul calling Mullin a “man with anger issues” and pressing him on whether political disputes can be settled with force; Mullin said he “does not believe in political violence” but also acknowledged telling Paul he could “understand” a 2017 assault and declined to apologize. The tense exchange unfolded against a backdrop of a partial DHS shutdown, contentious mass‑deportation operations and deadly ICE incidents, and broader questions about Mullin’s management fitness and lack of formal law‑enforcement experience even as he garners some union and bipartisan support.
📌 Key Facts
- Sen. Markwayne Mullin, President Trump's nominee to replace Kristi Noem as DHS secretary, faced a Senate Homeland Security confirmation hearing livestreamed at 9:30 a.m. ET on March 18, 2026; Noem announced her last day as DHS secretary would be March 31 and will be reassigned as Special Envoy for the 'Shield of the Americas.'
- DHS has been partially shut down for about five weeks amid a funding impasse over immigration enforcement, leaving over 100,000 employees furloughed or working without pay, producing TSA staffing shortages and long airport lines and delaying FEMA disaster aid.
- Mullin’s biography—former mixed‑martial‑arts fighter and collegiate wrestler, rancher and plumbing‑company owner with no formal law‑enforcement background—and unverified claims he did dangerous private security work in Middle East war zones drew scrutiny about his readiness to lead DHS.
- The confirmation came amid an escalated White House push for aggressive immigration enforcement described by critics as 'mass detention and mass deportation,' including controversial ICE surges in cities (notably Minnesota) that sparked protests and were linked to the deaths of two U.S. citizens.
- Mullin attracted endorsements from some Republicans, a few Democrats (including Sen. John Fetterman) and unions such as the National Border Patrol Council, while Homeland Security Committee Democrats (led by Sen. Gary Peters) and senators like Richard Blumenthal and Andy Kim demanded far‑reaching reforms and expressed reservations.
- Committee chair Sen. Rand Paul repeatedly clashed with Mullin—accusing him of having excused a 2017 assault, calling him a 'man with anger issues,' and pressing him on past remarks about caning, dueling and whether political disputes can be resolved by violence; Mullin said he 'doesn't believe in political violence,' defended past comments, and did not apologize.
- Observers and former officials warned Mullin will inherit serious management problems at DHS (senators called for a full audit), must decide whether enforcement will emphasize 'numbers or quality,' address ICE conduct concerns (including an ICE surge that detained U.S. citizens), and improve FEMA and other agency performance.
- President Trump pushed for a rapid confirmation—framing Mullin as the person to 'Stop Migrant Crime'—and highlighted union support; GOP leaders said Mullin was on a 'glidepath' to confirmation with a committee vote possible within days despite Democratic resistance.
📊 Relevant Data
In Fiscal Year 2024, Black or African American employees comprised 18.2% of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) workforce, compared to 13.4% of the U.S. population, indicating an overrepresentation in this agency affected by the government shutdown.
EEO Management Section | Homeland Security — U.S. Department of Homeland Security
In Fiscal Year 2024, Hispanic or Latino employees comprised 22.8% of the DHS workforce, compared to 19.1% of the U.S. population, showing a slight overrepresentation in the agency.
EEO Management Section | Homeland Security — U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Latinos accounted for nine out of ten Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests during the first six months of 2025, while comprising about 19% of the U.S. population and approximately 45% of the foreign-born population.
UCLA Report Finds Latino Arrests by ICE Have Skyrocketed Under the Trump Administration’s Second Term — UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 abolished national origins quotas, leading to increased immigration from Asia and Latin America, with new immigrants and their descendants accounting for 55% of U.S. population growth between 1965 and 2015, adding 72 million people, and continuing to influence demographic changes into the 2020s.
Impact of immigration of U.S. population growth since 1965 — Working Immigrants
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
Quinceañeras and Republican tumult
"A critical commentary arguing that Republican attempts at cultural outreach (evoked by 'quinceañeras') ring hollow amid DHS turmoil and a hard‑line deportation agenda that undermines trust with Latino communities and exposes the party’s internal dysfunction."
📰 Source Timeline (15)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 18, 2026
4:46 PM
WATCH: Sen. Paul asks DHS nominee Mullin if he believes violence can resolve political differences
New information:
- PBS provides verbatim exchange where Rand Paul asks Mullin if he believes political disputes can be resolved by violence and Mullin responds, “I don't believe in political violence. I've made that very clear.”
- Paul confronts Mullin with his past references to historical ‘precedence’ for resolving political differences through caning and dueling and corrects Mullin’s claim that dueling is still on the books, saying it has been illegal for 170 years.
- The article notes Paul cited Mullin’s prior CNN interview where Mullin said he had “no regrets” about a near-brawl with a witness at a 2023 Senate hearing, sharpening the line of criticism about Mullin’s suitability to model use-of-force limits as DHS chief.
4:15 PM
Trump highlights Border Patrol union's endorsement of Sen Markwayne Mullin to helm DHS
New information:
- President Trump publicly highlighted the National Border Patrol Council’s endorsement of Sen. Markwayne Mullin to be DHS Secretary, reposting the union’s letter and social media support on Truth Social.
- NBPC President Paul Perez sent a March 17, 2026 letter to Senate Homeland Security Committee chair Rand Paul and ranking member Gary Peters, formally endorsing Mullin and urging the committee to 'swiftly' advance his nomination.
- The NBPC amplified its endorsement on X, calling Mullin its choice to lead DHS and praising Trump’s 'tremendously successful leadership' on border issues.
- Kristi Noem told DHS employees in an internal message that her last day as Secretary will be March 31, 2026, and described her new role as Special Envoy for the 'Shield of the Americas' initiative focused on dismantling drug cartels alongside other cabinet officials.
3:29 PM
Paul calls Mullin a "man with anger issues" in confirmation hearing
New information:
- Rand Paul, as committee chair, explicitly labeled Markwayne Mullin a 'man with anger issues' during Mullin’s DHS confirmation hearing.
- Paul recounted his 2017 yard assault in detail at the hearing, described his injuries, and directly accused Mullin of justifying and celebrating that attack in prior comments.
- Mullin responded that he could 'understand' why Paul’s neighbor assaulted him because of Paul's behavior, reiterated calling Paul a 'snake in the grass,' and did not apologize, leading Paul to ask that the record reflect Mullin’s 'lack of contrition.'
- Paul tied Mullin’s 2023 attempt to start a physical fight with Teamsters President Sean O'Brien in a Senate HELP hearing to concerns about whether Mullin can model proper use-of-force limits for 250,000 DHS personnel.
3:11 PM
Sen Rand Paul grills Mullin on past comments on assault: 'Tell it to my face'
New information:
- Rand Paul used his opening statement as committee chair to accuse Markwayne Mullin of excusing the 2017 neighbor assault on Paul and challenged him to repeat those past remarks ‘to my face’.
- Mullin responded by saying that in a prior private conversation he told Paul he could ‘understand’ why Paul’s neighbor did what he did, and acknowledged calling Paul a ‘snake in the grass.’
- Mullin told the committee he is ‘blunt and direct,’ said he can ‘set aside’ personal animosity if Paul will, and pledged as DHS secretary to protect all states, including Kentucky, despite their feud.
11:22 AM
Trump DHS pick Markwayne Mullin will appear before senators for his confirmation hearing
New information:
- Confirms Mullin’s hearing is the first opportunity for lawmakers and the public to hear directly from him about how he plans to run DHS.
- Provides additional White House framing via spokeswoman Abigail Jackson, emphasizing Mullin will focus on 'removing the worst-of-the-worst criminal illegal aliens' in line with Trump’s agenda.
- Includes advance excerpts of opening remarks from Sen. Gary Peters, who says he has 'reservations' about Mullin’s readiness and calls for 'straightforward' reforms to align DHS officers’ conduct with police rules.
- Reiterates and contextualizes that intense enforcement operations in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis — including controversial tactics and two protester shooting deaths in Minneapolis — are a central backdrop for questioning Mullin.
- Stresses that the public mood has soured on mass‑deportation tactics and that Democrats are refusing to fund DHS until conduct reforms are made.
10:00 AM
Markwayne Mullin confirmation hearing set for today
New information:
- CBS specifies that Mullin’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee is set for 9:30 a.m. today and will be live‑streamed.
- The article reports DHS has been shut down for more than a month due to a funding impasse over immigration enforcement operations.
- It adds that hundreds of TSA officers have quit and many are calling out sick as they work without pay, creating significant staffing headaches at U.S. airports.
- CBS notes Democrats attempted unanimous‑consent funding for most DHS agencies (blocked by Republicans), while Republicans pushed a temporary full‑DHS funding bill (blocked by Democrats), detailing the latest failed maneuvers on the Hill.
- The piece emphasizes Mullin is considered on a 'glidepath' to confirmation, with the committee potentially voting as soon as Thursday and Republican leaders expecting some Democratic support.
9:00 AM
Mullin faces Democrat grilling in first hurdle to lead DHS amid shutdown fight
New information:
- Democrats on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee explicitly plan to use the hearing to extract Mullin’s commitments to 'far‑reaching and fundamental' reforms to DHS immigration enforcement.
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal is quoted calling Mullin’s past 'incendiary statements' disqualifying unless he retracts them and warning Mullin should be 'defeated and rejected' if he refuses deep reforms.
- The article underscores Mullin’s 'icy' personal relationship with Committee Chair Sen. Rand Paul, who declined to preview how the hearing will go, saying only, 'Come tomorrow, and you’ll find out more.'
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune says GOP leaders have not formally whipped votes but notes Mullin has 'good, strong relationships' with Democrats and frames the nomination as giving Democrats the leadership change they demanded when Kristi Noem was removed.
- Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat on the committee, is identified as an early public supporter of Mullin’s nomination and says he is in ongoing talks with Mullin about DHS reforms and has a planned pre‑hearing meeting.
- The piece reiterates Trump’s desired timeline: he wants Mullin installed and Noem out by March 31, adding urgency to the confirmation push despite Democratic resistance.
9:00 AM
Markwayne Mullin’s offer on DHS: The same Trump agenda, a new hardline leader
New information:
- Confirms Mullin will face his Senate colleagues in a confirmation hearing on Wednesday in the same type of committee room where former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s tenure began to unravel.
- Details that DHS remains shut down and under scrutiny for two fatal ICE shootings in Minneapolis, which have sparked protests and questions about agency tactics.
- Reports that Mullin publicly defended the January shooting of Renee Good as “justified,” saying, “If you don’t want to be in harm’s way, don’t get in the way of police officers from doing their job.”
- Includes Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s on‑record support for Mullin, with her critique of Noem’s management and her call for “more engagement with the Congress” from DHS leadership.
- Quotes Sens. John Kennedy and Thom Tillis outlining what they want from Mullin on FEMA disaster relief and on Operation Charlotte’s Web, with Tillis saying Mullin should “come clean” about the ICE surge in North Carolina that led to detention of U.S. citizens.
9:00 AM
Sen. Mullin faces confirmation hearing to lead Homeland Security Department
New information:
- NPR confirms the hearing is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, and will be before the Senate Homeland Security Committee (with live stream).
- Reports that Kristi Noem becomes the first Cabinet secretary to leave Trump’s second-term administration and has been reassigned as Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, a regional coalition of Latin American countries.
- Details that an immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota led to protests and the deaths of two U.S. citizens, a key factor in Noem’s bipartisan criticism and removal.
- States that over 100,000 DHS employees are currently furloughed or working without pay due to the partial DHS shutdown, including TSA and FEMA workers who are unrelated to immigration enforcement.
- Provides excerpts of prepared opening remarks from Senate Homeland Security Committee ranking Democrat Gary Peters, including his concerns about Mullin’s 'readiness' and his warning that the DHS secretary should not be a 'cable news commentator' in crises.
- Notes that Mullin’s nomination has drawn support from Teamsters president Sean O’Brien, despite Mullin having previously threatened to fight him in a Senate hearing, with O’Brien now calling Mullin willing to 'stand their butt up to protect America.'
- Reiterates Trump’s posted rationale for choosing Mullin, including his pledge that Mullin will 'Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country' and 'MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN.'
8:50 AM
Sen. Markwayne Mullin's secret war zone past
New information:
- Axios reports that Markwayne Mullin has privately told colleagues he did dangerous private security work in Middle East war zones, including Afghanistan, before running for Congress, though there is no public record of such work.
- Multiple former House colleagues say Mullin has described spending extended periods overseas 'protecting our country' in a non-military role, and Mullin himself told a radio show he did 'special assignments outside of DoD' working 'alongside' those under military contract.
- Mullin refused to answer Axios’ questions directly, saying, 'Brother, you know that I can't talk about any questions like this,' while his spokesperson framed his pre‑Congress work as Christian 'mission work' and mentorship for U.S. troops, not confirming the war‑zone security claims.
March 17, 2026
6:02 PM
Trump's security pick Mullin poised to inherit a DHS beset by challenges
New information:
- AP details that Mullin would "walk into" DHS with immigration enforcement at a crossroads, delayed disaster aid angering states, and frustrated travelers facing long TSA lines due to a monthlong funding battle in Congress.
- The article specifies that outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s social‑media‑driven management style contributed to her downfall and that Mullin is expected to follow White House policy priorities while being seen in the Senate more as a de facto spokesman for Trump than a legislator.
- It reports that approval of Trump’s immigration approach has fallen since the start of his second term, with most Americans now saying he has "gone too far," raising pressure on Mullin to recalibrate how mass deportations are carried out.
- Former acting ICE Director John Sandweg is quoted warning Mullin will need to decide whether enforcement focuses on "numbers or quality"—mass arrest sweeps versus more targeted operations—and that he will face internal pressure to keep deportation numbers high.
- Sen. John Kennedy, R‑La., is quoted saying DHS has "serious management problems" and that he told Mullin a full audit of the department is needed.
10:00 AM
Mullin wins backing from China, Cuba hawks — and some Democrats — as critics question fitness to lead DHS
New information:
- Sen. James Lankford, a Homeland Security Committee member from Oklahoma, publicly calls Mullin 'the right man at the right time' and says he expects Mullin to 'turn FEMA around.'
- Rep. Carlos Gimenez, the only Cuban‑born member of Congress and a leading Cuba hawk, strongly endorses Mullin, tying his support to expectations of a 'dramatic transition in Cuba' and saying he trusts Mullin to implement a 'course‑correction' at DHS.
- Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, says he will vote to confirm Mullin, citing agreement on border security and 'rounding up and deporting criminals' while criticizing Kristi Noem’s Minneapolis operation.
- Democratic Sen. Andy Kim, also on the Homeland Security Committee, goes on record as a hard 'no,' framing Mullin’s confirmation as a referendum on Trump’s immigration enforcement and FEMA performance and saying the administration resists needed reforms.
- Trump has publicly floated the idea that Cuba’s regime could collapse 'pretty soon,' with backers suggesting Mullin is suited to manage DHS during potential upheaval there.
9:00 AM
Wrestler, senator, tribal citizen: Who is Markwayne Mullin, Trump’s pick to lead DHS?
New information:
- Confirms that Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin is President Trump’s nominee to replace fired DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and that his Senate confirmation hearing is set for Wednesday.
- States that DHS has been in a partial shutdown for about five weeks, leaving thousands of employees unpaid while the department faces heightened risks from the Iran war and pressure to execute mass deportations.
- Details Mullin’s background as a former mixed martial arts fighter, collegiate wrestler, rancher, and plumbing company owner, and notes he lacks a formal law-enforcement background, which is typical for DHS secretaries.
- Reports that Trump publicly labeled Mullin a 'MAGA Warrior' and that Mullin responded by praising Trump for having 'the most secure U.S. border in American history' and pledging to 'defend the homeland.'
- Includes on‑the‑record support from GOP Sen. John Boozman, who calls Mullin well liked on both sides of the aisle and predicts he will have little trouble being confirmed.
March 16, 2026
3:00 PM
Trump's mass deportation agenda is at a crossroads as DHS changes leadership
New information:
- Confirms timing and framing of Kristi Noem’s departure and Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s upcoming DHS confirmation hearings as the immediate ‘crossroads’ for Trump’s immigration agenda.
- Reports that the White House political director, at a retreat at Trump’s Florida golf club, urged Republicans to emphasize enforcement against people with criminal records, while the White House press office insists the overall mass‑deportation agenda is unchanged.
- Quotes House Speaker Mike Johnson calling the aggressive deportation sweeps a political “hiccup” and promising a “course correction,” even as operations continue and ramp up.
- Highlights civil‑liberties concerns from the ACLU’s Sarah Mehta, who says the public is now seeing what “mass detention and mass deportation” look like and describes DHS as “really going forward with some of the cruelest policies.”
- Includes pro‑deportation advocate Rosemary Jenks arguing that now is an “opportunity” to increase deportation numbers amid internal GOP talk of backing away from Trump’s campaign‑trail mass deportation promise.