Jason Chaffetz Slams ‘Terrible’ Markwayne Mullin Hearing

Fox News contributor and former Republican lawmaker Jason Chaffetz ripped both Democrats and Republicans on Saturday for their uninspiring questions during Homeland Security secretary nominee Markwayne Mullin’s Senate confirmation hearing last week.

“I gotta tell ya, I think it was an embarrassment for both the Democrats and Republicans,” Chaffetz vented while co-hosting The Big Weekend Show. “A terrible embarrassment.”

Chaffetz said he hopes Mullin — who is currently serving as one of Oklahoma’s two Republican senators — replaces Kristi Noem as the next DHS secretary. But he said he was disappointed by the softball questions and comments made by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IO) and other lawmakers during Mullin’s hearing.

“They didn’t ask him hard questions… It’s not this good old boys club!” Chaffetz said.

The former Republican representative from Utah continued:

The president of the United States was shot and there isn’t one person in the Secret Service demoted or fired. Are you kidding me?

I would have [went] out there said ‘You’re going to be the next secretary — tell me how the president of the United States was shot and nobody got fired? In fact, the lead became the director of the Secret Service. The number one job of homeland security — protect the president of the United States. What are you going to do to protect the president of the United States?’

Didn’t ask him that question.

His co-host Joey Jones agreed that the questioning was too soft.

There were some noteworthy moments during the hearing, though, like when Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) pressed Mullin on who won the 2020 presidential election. And Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) got into it with Mullin at one point, saying he was not sure it was wise to have someone with “anger issues” running DHS.

Paul was livid at Mullin for saying last month that he “completely” understood why Paul’s neighbor attacked him in 2017; Paul challenged Mullin to “tell it to my face, if that’s what you believe” on Wednesday.

Chaffetz said it was clear the beef between the two men was “very personal.”

Mullin could be confirmed next week as the next DHS secretary, after a Senate committee advanced his nomination on Thursday.

Watch above via Fox News.

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