Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., speaks at a Capitol Hill hearing on March 30.
In a fiery Capitol Hill session on Tuesday, tensions flared, threatening to escalate into a brawl during a Senate hearing. The spark ignited when Senator Markwayne Mullin, a former MMA fighter from Oklahoma, engaged in a heated confrontation with Sean O’Brien, the president of the Teamsters union. The situation reached a boiling point at the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing.
Mullin, drawing on his past interaction with O’Brien on Twitter, recounted a proposal made in June, now referred to as X, where they considered settling their differences through an MMA fight for charity. The hearing became charged when Mullin read aloud O’Brien’s tweet, accusing him of being a “greedy CEO” with a “#LittleManSyndrome.”
The tension escalated as Mullin challenged O’Brien, suggesting they settle the matter then and there. O’Brien, seemingly open to the idea, responded affirmatively. The exchange reached a point where both participants were poised to stand up and potentially come to blows.
“Then stand your butt up then,” urged Mullin.
“You stand your butt up,” retorted O’Brien.
The situation teetered on the edge of physical confrontation until Senator Bernie Sanders intervened, forcefully instructing Mullin to sit down. The committee’s chairman reminded Mullin of his role as a United States senator, preventing the situation from escalating further. Despite the exchange of heated words, the incident concluded with Mullin and O’Brien agreeing to resolve their differences over a cup of coffee.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Capitol, Representative Tim Burchett accused former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of intentionally elbowing him in the kidneys during a hallway interview. Burchett, who had voted against McCarthy, confronted him about the incident, but McCarthy denied any intentional wrongdoing.
The events prompted Representative Matt Gaetz to file a complaint with the House Ethics Committee, although he did not witness the incident personally. McCarthy dismissed the complaint, suggesting it was a suitable matter for the Ethics Committee.
In response to these incidents, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed his views on X, emphasizing the challenges of maintaining order during extended congressional sessions. McConnell, while acknowledging the difficulty of controlling everyone’s behavior, suggested that Capitol Police bear the responsibility for such matters.
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