Donald Trump’s nominee to replace the Homeland Security Secretary he just fired allegedly allowed an employee to illegally store weapons at one of his businesses.
MAGA Sen. Markwayne Mullin is expected to take over the reins at the department following Kristi Noem’s shock ouster last week amid backlash to a slew of scandals throughout her 13-month tenure.
Mullin, according to court records obtained by the Washington Post, is alleged to have once permitted a convicted felon to store a “large cache” of weapons and ammunition in a safe at the offices of the senator’s family plumbing company. Felons are prohibited from owning firearms under federal law.
The employee, Timothy Saylor, who has prior convictions for weapons offenses, murder threats, and assault with a chemical, told the newspaper that Mullin was fully aware of his criminal history. “Markwayne knew I was a felon,” he said. “Of course he knew. Because I told him.”
The Oklahoma senator already faces a bruising confirmation hearing later this month. Critics have highlighted his attempted brawl with a union president during Senate proceedings, concerns over whether he ran a private business while serving in Congress, claims he misled voters over his official salary, his opposition to COVID-19 measures, and his comparison of his work as a plumber to sacrifices made by U.S. military personnel.
The Daily Beast also reported that Mullin, a veteran stock trader, has made a killing from Trump’s attacks on Venezuela and Iran, and that he has previously been accused of protecting a pro-Iranian regime from prospective U.S. sanctions.
WaPo notes that the Saylor incident had already sparked controversy during Mullin’s 2012 run for Congress. The Oklahoma businessman claimed that he had not conducted a background check on Saylor because he was an existing employee of a company Mullin had purchased.
Saylor further alleged to the newspaper that Mullin had told him to keep quiet about the gun incident in the lead-up to that campaign. He also said that Mullin permitted him to build a gun range on one of the Senator’s Oklahoma properties, where Mullin allegedly joined him on occasion. “We would have a good time,” Saylor said.
The Daily Beast has contacted Mullin’s representatives, DHS and the White House for comment.
