Rand Paul Slams DHS Secretary Candidate Mullin, Says he Will Vote Against Confirmation: 'No Business Leading Federal Law Enforcement'

Senator Rand Paul slammed fellow Republican Markwayne Mullin, saying he will vote against confirming him as Department of Homeland Security secretary because he did not condemn an attack against him years ago.

Speaking to Fox News, Paul was asked if Mullin ever apologized for saying he understood why Paul had been assaulted by a neighbor in 2017.

Paul described Mullin's "anger issues that he has as an individual" as well as "his celebration that the violence that happened to me." He also claimed that Mullin suggested he favored physical violence to solve issues, noting that people historically challenged each other to duels in the past.

"No one in the modern age that I know of asides of Mullin is justifying political violence as 'oh, well we need a manly way to settle our differences.'. I think it's bizarre and makes him unfit to lead federal law enforcement," he added, anticipating he won't vote for him.

Paul was already the only Republican to vote against advancing the nomination through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The vote was 8-7, with Sen. John Fetterman being the only Democrat to vote in favor.

The Democrats' ranking member in the committee, Gary Peters, also said Mullin doesn't have the temperament to lead the agency.

"At his confirmation hearing yesterday, we saw that, unfortunately, Senator Mullin is not up to that challenge. When I heard President Trump would be nominating Senator Mullin, I kept an open mind. However, throughout the nomination process, he has failed to be forthright and transparent. Senator Mullin also showed that he doesn't have the experience or the temperament to lead this critical department," he said.

"There will be no shortage of political disagreements facing the next DHS Secretary the department and the American people deserve a leader who is steady and proven under pressure, not just someone better than the very low bar set by his predecessor," Peters added.

Paul had already had a testy exchange with Mullin during his confirmation hearing, challenging him over the mentioned remarks.

"Tell me to my face why you think I deserved to be assaulted from behind. Have six ribs broken and a damaged lung," Paul said during Mullin's nomination hearing to lead the Department of Homeland Security. "Tell it to me today. Tell the world why you believe I deserve to be assaulted."

Mullin rejected Paul's characterization of his comments. "I did not say I supported it. I said I understood it. There's a difference," Mullin said. He added that he prefers addressing disagreements directly. "If I have something to say, I'll say it directly to your face."