Sen. Sanders Decries Media Coverage of Senate Clash

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., when discussing a near-fight at the U.S. Capitol, blasted the mainstream media for its coverage of such incidents.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., on Tuesday challenged the president of the Teamsters to a fight during a Senate committee hearing.

After Mullin stood to confront International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (or HELP) Committee Chair Sanders objected and told Mullin to "sit down" while banging the gavel.

"Well, it's pretty pathetic," Sanders said told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday night. "We have a United States senator challenging a member of the panel who is the head of one of the larger unions in America, which has just negotiated a very good contract for their workers, the Teamsters.

"I think the point that I try to make there is this country faces so many crises ... and this is what goes on in a Senate hearing, and that's why the American people are getting sick and tired of what goes on here in Congress."

Sanders, a longtime union ally, pleaded with them to focus on the economic issues that were the basis of the hearing, which Sanders conducted to review how unions help working families.

"By the way, it might be nice for the media to pay attention to really what the hearing was about, is that workers all over this country are standing up and fighting back against corporate greed," Sanders told CNN. "Unions like the UAW, the Teamsters, others are winning good contracts.

"If we're going to look at the problem, media plays a role, too."

O'Brien in June had used X to challenge Mullin by saying, "You know where to find me. Anyplace, anytime cowboy."

Later in Tuesday's hearing, O'Brien directed tough words at Mullin again. Sanders asked his colleague to refrain from responding, and Mullin accommodated.

"Bernie looked at me. He says, 'Well, thank you. I appreciate you being a man of your word,'" Mullin said Tuesday during an appearance on Newsmax's "Wake Up America."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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