Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was seen holding a pink stress ball during a heated Capitol Hill hearing, which did little to calm tensions as the session turned into a tense back-and-forth.
Mullin, 48, was testifying Thursday before a House Appropriations Committee panel on oversight of the agency he took over after replacing Kristi Noem, 54, and was seen clutching the pink rubber ball while fielding questions from lawmakers.
At one point, tensions escalated after Democratic Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, 83, began speaking about families being separated from children at the U.S. border before Mullin interrupted.
“Let me just say this to you, sir, again it is my time,” DeLauro said. “3,900 children were separated from their families...” the congresswoman began, before Mullin cut in to accuse the Biden administration.
“450,000 kids were lost during the Biden administration, and you didn’t say a word about it,” the secretary said, prompting DeLauro to point at him and tell him not to interrupt her, which sparked an angry response.
“Don’t you point your finger at me,” Mullin shot back. “Don’t be a hypocrite.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary faced scrutiny over his temper during his confirmation hearing in March, when Senate Homeland Security Chairman Rand Paul, 63, described him as “a man with anger issues,” pointing to an incident in which Mullin called him a “freaking snake” and was accused of appearing to excuse a 2017 assault on Paul that left him with broken ribs.
In 2023, during his time as a senator for Oklahoma, Mullin had a heated confrontation with Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
During a Senate hearing, he told O’Brien to “stand your butt up,” stood up himself, and removed his wedding ring, saying the two could “finish it here” after previously clashing on social media.
According to an article on the Anger Management 818 website, stress balls provide a “safe outlet for releasing built-up physical tension” and are a therapist-recommended tool for managing anger, but are intended for use when “irritation is beginning, not when anger becomes intense.”
Mullin’s frequent use of a stress ball has even drawn notice from Fox News host Sean Hannity, who, according to USA Today, once asked: “I’m not sure what this is. Is this like a blanket, or what?”
According to the outlet, Mullin has said he has carried the ball since middle school for reasons he cannot fully explain, describing it as his “pacifier.”
In response to a request for comment, the Department of Homeland Security directed the Daily Beast to Mullin’s old Instagram video, in which he explains that the ball is a “fidget tool” that keeps him in “rhythm” and gets his “motor” going because he gets tired quickly.
Notably, during his March 18 confirmation hearing, the ball sat on a wooden desk alongside his smartphone and stacks of papers as Mullin was confirmed in a 54-45 vote.
