Rand Paul will preside over the confirmation hearing for Markwayne Mullin, who he once called a ‘snake’.
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President Donald Trump’s nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a confirmation hearing ready to go, and he will have to deal with intra-party conflict in the process.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., will soon enter the Senate’s tough confirmation process after being nominated by Trump to replace embattled DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
He will first go through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee before moving on to a confirmation vote in the full Senate.
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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., intends to hold confirmation hearings for Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., March 18, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who chairs the Homeland Security panel, wants to hold Mullin’s hearing next week. The White House formally sent Mullin’s nomination to the Senate on Monday, according to the congressional record.
“We shoot for a week starting Wednesday when all the paperwork comes in,” Paul said.
But Mullin and Paul have personal differences that could result in a confirmation hearing.
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Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s, R-Okla., approach to handling the Department of Homeland Security won’t be easy in the Senate, where Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., has already opposed his nomination. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
In February, Mullin criticized Paul during an event with voters for his repeated votes against Republican priorities, such as spending or other elements of Trump’s agenda, such as the “big, good bill” last year.
Oklahoma reporter David Arnett reported in a lengthy profile of Mullin that, during the event, the lawmaker was asked about an amendment to Paul’s money package he voted for.
Mullin warned that Paul was “trying to kill the farm bill because he’s trying to legalize hemp for drinks in Kentucky because of the tobacco industry’s swings,” then followed Paul’s voting history before taking a break from a 2017 incident in which the Kentucky Republican was attacked by his neighbor over a weed dispute.
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President Donald Trump listens during an event on the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in the India Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House in Washington, March 4, 2026. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
“I respect Bernie Sanders because he’s an open socialist, and he knows he’s a Communist, so he knows what he’s getting,” Mullin said. “Rand Paul is a horrible snake. And I completely understand why his neighbor did what he did. And I told him that to his face.”
That little bit for Paul may carry during his confirmation hearings, but Mullin is expected to easily pass that first hurdle, as the majority of Republicans on the panel will support him, and he has the support of Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.
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Paul downplayed Monday’s incident when he told reporters, “I’m going to withhold judgment right now, and we’re probably going to find out a lot more.”
“I would suggest coming to court, though,” said Paul. “I think it will be interesting.”
