Sen. Markwayne Mullin threatens to fight witness during Senate committee meeting

During a Senate committee meeting on Tuesday Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin challenged a witness to a fight.

The witness, Sean O'Brien, the General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, testified in the HELP committee. The committee focuses on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Mullin is on the committee.

Previously in March 2023 an exchange between the two during a Senate hearing led to a Twitter feud. On June 21 O'Brien tweeted about Mullin calling him a "greedy CEO."

Mullin then challenged O'Brien to an MMA fight in Tulsa to raise money for a charity and settle the fight. No fight ever happened and O'Brien returned to the Senate for testimony.

During the testimony Mullin read some of those previous tweets to O'Brien and asked if they could settle the issue now. "This is time, this is a place. You wanna run your mouth we can be two consenting adults we can finish it here," said Mullin.

"Perfect," O'Brien replied.

"Wanna do it now?" asked Mullin.

"I'd love to do it now," O'Brien replied.

"Stand your butt up," Mullin said.

"You stand your butt up," O'Brien replied.

Mullin stood and appeared ready to fight, the camera was not on O'Brien at that time. At this point Sen. Bernie Sanders interjected telling both men to stop it. He told Mullin he is a U.S. Senator and urging both men to sit down.

After additional back and forth Mullin again urged O'Brien to agree to have a fight with him, but eventually the two appeared to agree to have coffee.

2 News Oklahoma reached out to Sen. Mullin's office for a comment about the incident.

Mullin tweeted this as a response to a politcal blog inviting him onto speak about what happened, quoting the original argument with O'Brien.

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