During a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, tempers flared with an unexpected confrontation between Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Sean O’Brien. The conflict arose when Mullin challenged O’Brien to a physical fight, telling him to “stand your butt up” and settle their differences there and then. Bernie Sanders, the committee’s chairman, repeatedly banged his gavel, trying to cut off the heated argument. The exchanges were highly charged, with insults and challenges thrown back and forth between the two men.
The altercation was rooted in social media activity, initiated with O’Brien’s posts that criticized Mullin’s leadership and called him names, which Mullin read aloud during the hearing. The exchange escalated to the point where Mullin appeared to challenge O’Brien to a physical fight, telling him “this is the place” and asking if he wanted to do it right there and then. It culminated when O’Brien called Mullin a “twelve-year-old schoolyard bully” and declined to engage in a physical confrontation, instead suggesting they meet for coffee to work out their differences. Bernie Sanders, visibly exasperated, called the entire incident “absurd” and expressed his frustration at the senators’ failure to address the real issues of the committee hearing.
Despite Mullin’s attempts to drag him into a physical altercation, O’Brien refrained from engaging and suggested a more diplomatic approach. The spectacle was widely viewed as unprofessional and inappropriate for a Senate committee hearing, drawing criticism from Sanders and casting a shadow over the serious issues being discussed. McConnell and Cramer, however, downplayed the incident, with McConnell declining to address the issue further, saying he is not responsible for controlling the behaviors of others in the building, while Cramer brushed it off as a testament to the dynamic nature of the Senate.
