Donald Trump effectively put Kristi Noem out to pasture earlier this month, tapping Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace her as the leader of the Department of Homeland Security. Under Noem, the DHS came under a torrent of scrutiny from both the public and Congress, and this week Mullin will appear before his colleagues in the Senate to field questions about his qualifications and explain why he is the man for the job.
The best thing Mullin has going for him is that Noem’s tenure atop the DHS was such a disaster. Trump axed her a day after a trainwreck of a congressional hearing in which she was grilled by members of both parties about an array of scandals — from her reckless response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement killing citizens in Minnesota earlier this year, to holding up FEMA disaster relief money, to outlandish and potentially corrupt spending on TV advertisements and private jets. The DHS is currently shut down as Democrats have refused to fund the agency in the wake of ICE’s terror campaign in Minnesota.
Up until maybe a few days before Trump announced Noem’s demotion to envoy to the “Shield of America” — a new security coalition the president just created — Mullin didn’t exactly seem like a candidate for a Cabinet-level role in the administration. The junior senator from Oklahoma isn’t even halfway through his first term in the upper chamber, following a decade as a representative in the House.
Unlike Noem, Mullin hasn’t shot a puppy or been accused of using government jets to conduct an extramarital affair, but he is a colourful character in his own right — one who could soon be overseeing Trump’s brutal immigration crackdown. Here’s everything you need to to know about the senator as he prepares to face the confirmation gauntlet.
Who is Markwayne Mullin?
Mullin is a native Oklahoman and member of the Cherokee Nation. His unique first name is a combination of the names of his two maternal uncles; his mom intended to eventually shorten it, but it stuck. Mullin is notably the only member of Congress not to have a bachelor’s degree, although he did complete an associate degree at the Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology. Before running for office, Mullin ran his family’s plumbing business, hosted a syndicated home improvement radio show, and established himself as a successful businessman in the state.
Mullin first made a bid for Congress in 2012, running in Oklahoma’s 2nd District to replace outgoing Democratic Rep. Dan Boren. Styling himself as an outsider candidate with a focus on his profile as a successful businessman, Mullin managed to flip the Democratic-leaning district, and held it for a full decade (despite promising his constituents he would only serve three terms).
The rise of the MAGA movement led Mullin to reshape much of his political profile in the image of Trump, and in 2023 he succeeded in defeating a crowded Republican field to replace former Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe.
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How is Mullin qualified to run the Department of Homeland Security?
It’s unclear, to be generous. Mullin doesn’t appear to have much experience in any of the fields in the DHS’ purview. He does not have a law enforcement background or a background in disaster relief (DHS oversees FEMA). The Trump administration and other Republicans praising Trump’s decision to tap Mullin have lauded him as tough on the border, but he’s never served on a congressional committee that focuses on immigration. Mullin’s chief qualification seems to be that is a dutiful supporter of Trump’s agenda who will do what Trump tells him — and that’s all that seems to matter to the president.
What’s the deal with Mullin’s finances?
Like many of his colleagues in the Capitol, Mullin has made millions off of highly profitable stock investments. According to analysis by multiple financial firms that track publicly available congressional financial data, Mullin is one of the most prolific and profitable traders across both chambers. According to his congressional financial disclosures, his moderate wealth of something between $3 million and $9 million in 2012 has exploded to a net worth somewhere between $29 million and $97 million in 2024.
Mullin’s portfolio drew attention earlier this year when he dumped a portion of a $2.8 million package of stock trades into Chevron days before the Trump administration launched an operation to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and take control of the country’s oil production. Chevron, the only American oil company operating in Venezuela, saw a spectacular jump in its valuation after the operation.
Mullin courted criticism from constituents and fellow lawmakers in 2017 after he publicly dismissed the notion that taxpayers supported his salary. “You say you pay for me to do this? That’s bullcrap,” Mullin said during a town hall event in Jay, Oklahoma. “I pay for myself. I paid enough taxes before I got here and continue to through my company to pay my own salary. This is a service. No one here pays me to go.”
Taxpayers do pay Mullin a salary of $174,000 annually to serve in the Senate, though. Mullin has been accepting his congressional salary his entire time in elected office, but he is correct in saying that the bulk of his wealth is coming from elsewhere.
What’s the deal with Mullin trying to fight people in Congress?
Mullin is a journeyman amateur wrestler who briefly dabbled in Mixed Martial Arts before running for office. As a lawmaker, he submitted legislation aimed at expanding the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act — a law passed in 2000 that sought to regulate boxing leagues and curtail corruption and exploitation within the sport — to include other combat sports such as MMA.
Unfortunately, his physicality has not been wholly contained to sports during his time in office. Mullin made headlines in the fall of 2024 when he tried to fight Teamsters President Sean O’Brien during a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, threatening to climb down from his seat and bareknuckle the witness. “You wanna run your mouth? We can be two consenting adults, we can finish it here,” Mullin said, while adjusting a ring on his hand. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), at the time the chair of the committee, reminded Mullin that he was a “United States senator,” and should act as such.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) challenges Teamsters leader Sean O’Brien to a physical fight, standing up midway through a Senate HELP Committee hearing.
Chair Bernie Sanders (I-VT) repeatedly attempts to break them up: “You’re a United States senator.” pic.twitter.com/E4U624cDsS
— The Recount (@therecount) November 14, 2023
In a signal of the type of politics Mullin had come to embrace, he went on the claim that he would have followed through with his threats against O’Brien, if he hadn’t been stopped by the scourge of “political correctness.”
More recently, Mullin was caught by C-Span cameras attempting to physically rip a sign that said “Black People Aren’t Apes” out of Rep. Al Green’s (D-Texas) hands before Trump’s State of the Union address in February.
Why did Trump pick Mullin to replace Kristi Noem?
Like many administration officials tapped to serve in the Trump government, Mullin has spent a lot of time on right-wing television — primarily Fox News, and the president is of course very clued into how people are talking about him on TV.
Mullin’s recent appearances have been a little iffy — he twice one interview referred to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as “President Hegseth,” has insisted the war against Iran isn’t a war despite calling it one himself, and drew criticism for talking about how the “smell” and “taste” of war is something one never forgets even though he never served — but he’s been a steadfast defender of Trump and his agenda.
CNN also reported recently on how Mullin is generally well-liked in the Senate, and has made the right establishment allies in Congress while remaining true to MAGA diehards. His confirmation could still be contentious. Mullin will likely be questioned by lawmakers about his stance on the clear falsehoods broadcast by the DHS in the aftermath of ICE’s incursion into Minnesota, as Mullin has repeated claims that Alex Pretti — one of two high-profile killings by border patrol agents in the city — was a “deranged individual” who intended to cause “massive damage” to law enforcement.
Serving as a mouthpiece for the administration seems to be the primary reason why Mullin is up for the job at all. As Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) recently told CNN, “Mullin is not the problem. The problem is I am not sure Mullin is going to be in charge.”
From Rolling Stone US
