Trump’s DHS pick Markwayne Mullin advances out of Senate committee

A day after a testy confirmation hearing, a Senate committee on Thursday advanced the nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

Mullin cleared his first procedural hurdle to leading the department despite prodding from his Senate peers on Wednesday over his temperament, DHS’ immigration policies and a trip he said he took abroad while a member of the House that he repeatedly said was “classified.”

The vote was 8-7, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, chair of the Senate panel, the lone Republican vote against the nomination and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., the lone Democrat voting in favor. Republicans hold an 8-7 majority on the committee.

Mullin’s nomination now goes to the full Senate, where he will need a majority to be confirmed.

Paul’s “no” vote came after he lashed out at the nominee at a confirmation hearing the day prior. Mullin recently said he understood why Paul’s neighbor physically attacked him in 2017 and called Paul, a libertarian-leaning Republican who often does not vote with his party, a “freaking snake.” Paul called Mullin “unrepentant.”

“I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force,” Paul said.

Paul told reporters after the Wednesday hearing that he would not support the nomination but committed to the Thursday vote, even after questions swirled around Mullin’s hazy description of his classified trip abroad. After the public hearing on Wednesday, some committee members relocated to a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility to get more information from Mullin in an environment where he could talk about classified information.

Mullin was tapped to lead the agency earlier this month after President Donald Trump ousted DHS Secretary Kristi Noem via a Truth Social post.

Fetterman declined to speak with reporters following the vote, instead referring them to a statement posted to his X.

“In January, I called on the president to fire Noem—and he did. I truly approached the confirmation of my colleague and friend, Senator Mullin, with an open-mind,” Fetterman said in the post. “We need a leader at DHS. We must reopen DHS. My AYE is rooted in a strong committed, constructive working relationship with Senator Mullin for our nation’s security.”