US Lawmaker Agitatedly Challenges Hearing Witness: "Fight Me Right Now"

Disputes Continue Despite Chairman's Warning
"An Incident Revealing the Dysfunction of the US Congress"

A U.S. federal senator exposed the dysfunction of the American Congress by spontaneously challenging a hearing witness who criticized him to a 'fight.'

Senator Markwayne Mullin arguing with a witness during a U.S. congressional hearing. Chairman Bernie Sanders, seated beside him, raises his hand to intervene.
[Photo by Yonhap News, captured from U.S. congressional hearing broadcast.]

According to major foreign media reports on the 14th (local time), Senator Markwayne Mullin (Republican, Oklahoma) got into a verbal altercation with Sean O'Brien, the chairman of the Teamsters (transportation union), who appeared as a witness at the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing.

Mullin, who owns a plumbing company, took issue with O'Brien's criticism on social media last June, where O'Brien called Mullin a "greedy CEO pretending to be self-made."

At that time, O'Brien said about Mullin, "(Mullin's) reality is that he is a clown and a fraud. He will continue to be so. Stop pretending to be tough at Senate hearings. You know where to find me. Cowboy, let's meet anytime, anywhere."

The two had already been at odds since a March hearing, where Mullin attacked O'Brien by questioning his salary, implying that he was paid a lot without doing much work.

In response, Mullin, a former mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, read the social media post during the hearing and pointed between himself and O'Brien with his finger, saying, "This is the time and this is the place."

He continued, "You want to wag your tongue, and we can fight by mutual agreement. We can end it here," implying an immediate fight.

When O'Brien replied, "I welcome it right now," Mullin stood up abruptly, prompting Senator Bernie Sanders to intervene with warnings such as "Stop it" and "Sit down." Raising his voice at Mullin, who continued to argue, Sanders said, "You are a U.S. senator."

Despite Sanders repeatedly banging the gavel and warning, "The American people already despise Congress enough," the two continued their verbal dispute for some time.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.