We have the Senator laying the smackdown on Sen Mark-My-Words-He-Sucks-Wayne Mullin right out of the gate. They’re having the confirmation hearing much faster than usual, which bugs me because DHS should have had to wait, as others did. But it’s started now, and my opinion doesn’t matter for a hill of beans. I had originally intended to write about some news from CNN about the war, but I’m depressed enough. With thanks to Raw Story:
MS NOW’s Jonathan Lemire and Ali Vitali were astonished by the “extraordinary” opening statement by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) in the confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security. The Kentucky Republican came out firing Wednesday morning at the start of confirmation hearings for his fellow GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), who last month called him “a freaking snake” and said he understood why Paul’s neighbor violently assaulted him. Paul was left with broken ribs and needed part of a lung removed after the attack in 2017.
Ha. Mullin is already having trouble because of something he said about Senator Paul, and it’s a poor way to start a hearing for a high-level government position. We can laugh now. There are always insults flying back and forth between members of Congress. That’s par for the course. But to come out and have to face the very person he slandered should make him sweat. GOOD.
“Sen. Rand Paul just concluded an extraordinary opening statement, really attacking Mullin and his credentials and credibility in this job,” Lemire said, and then turned to Vitali reporting live from the Capitol. “You’re there outside the hearing room, you’re listening in. Just walk us through what just happened. Extraordinary statement, Republican on Republican colleagues in the Senate.”
Vitali was stunned by how thoroughly Paul attacked his GOP colleague’s qualifications to take over for ousted DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “It was an absolutely ice-cold opening. At one point, as he started to address Mullin, saying that at a time of political violence in this country, Mullin is someone who has only fomented those tensions.”
It seems Mullin isn’t all sweetness and light as he would wish people to think of him. He’s sour and dark, instead. Sounds like Gnome to me. Trump wants him to take over. It seems he would be worse than she was. I need a better nickname for him. To the point, though, Mullin is already a poor candidate, bad blood between him and Senator Paul notwithstanding. If he *foments* violence? Ooofffff. Bad, bad idea. He’ll just let ICE/CBP run loose. Or loose-r, rather.
“Rand Paul said, ‘I’m going to address several instances to you if you have the time,’ sort of calling him to attention as his eyes strayed from the chairman of the committee that is in control of keeping control of the confirmation battle that is underway here,” she said. “I think the fact that Paul, at several points, pointed to Markwayne Mullin as someone with anger issues, that’s a phrase that Paul used also saying at one point that he, and these are Paul’s words,
‘I just wonder if someone who applauds political violence is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled with guardrails and instances of controversy and tragedy.’” “I would now imagine, as we go forward into several rounds of questions from both sides of the aisle, Democrats certainly have a lot of questions of substance to air,” she said. “Most of them don’t think that a change in personnel is enough to get them behind supporting this confirmation.”
It would be a Good Day if he wasn’t ever confirmed. Anger issues are a major, MAJOR problem. Plus, he’s dumb! Being able to talk back and forth with the House and Senate is nothing compared to being dumb. IMNSHO, Congress is easy when compared to a large organization like DHS, of which ICE/CBP is only a part. Since we’ve seen him not keep his yap shut, he’d be just as wretched at press conferences as Gnome was. That’s not helpful either. But we had hoped people wouldn’t be approved, and they were, so we wait. I’m still crossing my fingers.
See you soon!
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise that among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest-working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
