Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told Newsmax on Wednesday that "it would be a lot of fun" to fight the president of the Teamsters after he challenged the prominent union boss to a bout during a congressional hearing this week.
Mullin on Tuesday challenged Teamsters President Sean O'Brien to a fight during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing over some of O'Brien's past social media comments about the senator. The two did not fight after the panel's chairman, Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, intervened.
The senator later said on "Wake Up America" that "these guys, they expect me not to be a guy from Oklahoma I guess. … I was raised in Oklahoma my whole life."
He added, "You can't just sit there and be a keyboard warrior. If you want to say something stupid like that, then own the words."
When asked if he would have fought O'Brien had Sanders not intervened, Mullin said, "I thought, 'Well, this is gonna be a great day. I've been waiting for this since you posted that a long time ago.' "
The senator said, "I honestly didn't think he would even say, 'Let's do it,' but then again, he's the guy that runs his mouth all the time [and] doesn't get called out on it."
He also criticized O'Brien as "a union boss that wants to be tough" and "bring back the mob mentality."
Mullin later said that he "used to get paid to fight" and "it's not personal to me," adding, "in fact, I thought it would be a lot of fun, but if he wants to sit down, have a cup of coffee afterward, fine, let's have a cup of coffee."
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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