Markwayne Mullin defends Senate fight, remains open to punching or getting a cup of coffee with union boss

WASHINGTON - Sen. Markwayne Mullin said it's an Oklahoma thing.

The Sooner State Republican nearly came to blows with union boss Sean O'Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, during a Senate committee hearing Tuesday.

In a Wednesday interview, Mullin defended his actions, claiming in Oklahoma "you don't run your mouth" like he claims O'Brien did online.

The quarrel started Tuesday during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing after Mullin read aloud tweets that O’Brien had posted in June, calling Mullin a “clown” and “fraud” who “pretends like he’s self made.” The back-and-forth escalated, with Mullin inviting O'Brien to fisticuffs right there in the hearing, and committee chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders intervening.

In an interview with Newsmax on Wednesday, Mullin said, “You know, some people are real strong behind a keypad, but when they get called out, it’s completely different.”

“People ask me too, ‘Is this becoming of a U.S. senator?’ I was like, ‘I’m a guy from Oklahoma first.’ In Oklahoma, you don’t run your mouth like that and if you do run your mouth like that, you’re expected to be called out on it,” Mullin said.

He added, “It’s silly. It’s stupid. But every now and then, you need to get punched in the face.”

When asked whether there were any Senate rules that allowed for “two consenting adults” to “duke it out,” Mullin claimed that lawmakers used to be able to “cane,” an apparent reference to an infamous 1856 incident in which Rep. Preston Brooks of South Carolina severely beat Sen. Charles Sumner of Massachusetts at his desk with a stick for a speech condeming slavery.

Brooks, however, was found guilty of assault and faced a $300 fine. Sen. Henry Wilson of Massachusetts called the beating “brutal, murderous, and cowardly.”

Mullin also referenced President Andrew Jackson’s penchant for duels.

“You got to remember that President Andrew Jackson challenged nine guys to a duel and won nine times,” he said. “At a White House one time, a guy was mouthing him at the end of the table. Jackson jumped, literally ran across the table and knocked the guy out."

He continued, “And, so, at the end of the day, there is precedence for it if that’s what someone wants to do.”

“At the end of it, he’s like, he tried to say, ‘Hey, I didn’t mean it like that. You know, I’d rather just go have a cup of coffee,’" Mullin said of O'Brien. "And I was like, ‘Fine, let’s go have a cup of coffee if that’s what you want.’ But, I don’t think that’s what he means, I think he got called on the carpet and I think he got really nervous. Because when he stood up, the look on his face was a little bit different.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mullin defends fight with O'Brien, talks punching and coffee