Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin had a full meltdown at a former mayor when he was asked how he reconciled his Christian faith with mass deportations and alleged physical abuse by agencies within DHS.
Audio published by The Oklahoman showed Mullin responding by screaming at former Edmond Mayor Randel Shadid.
He then tried to use one of President Donald Trump tactics by trying to ban press coverage of the incident.
Mullin was speaking in his home state of Oklahoma at a public Edmond Chamber of Commerce meeting on Monday when the shouting match occurred.
Shadid, who is still a member of multiple city boards, said he has “a hard time figuring out how a Christian who reads the Bible” as he does can excuse mass deportations and the alleged physical abuse of migrants by DHS agencies.
Audio from the meeting then gets muddled by arguing, with Shadid seemingly reading a Bible scripture to Mullin.
Mullin responds by yelling, “You’re not going to throw out Christian scripture to me and sit there and say that Jesus didn’t say we should obey the nation’s laws… Don’t question our Christianity, because you choose to interpret [the Bible] one scripture at a time instead of the Bible as a whole.”
Mullin tried to save face with a dud of a comeback after the embarrassing confrontation, saying, “You’re trying to make a point because you think you’re the smartest person in the room, and you’re not.”
Police escorted Shadid out of the meeting after the argument. The Oklahoman’s politics reporter Alexia Aston said the incident highlighted “the concerns about Mullin’s temperament when he was nominated to lead the Department of Homeland Security.”
After the squabble, journalists with The Oklahoman said Mullin’s staff then allegedly tried to retroactively impose a ban on press coverage, not just of the confrontation, but of Monday’s Chamber of Commerce meeting entirely.
A person “who identified herself as a member of Mullin’s staff” approached a photographer from The Oklahoman and said the event was “off record,” despite the Edmond Chamber of Commerce previously permitting journalists to attend the public event. She said the paper “was not allowed to publish anything from it, including the fact that Mullin attended,” The Oklahoman reported.
Hours after the attempt to restrict press coverage, the chamber released a news item that said the gathering gave “members and community leaders” a chance to learn about federal issues from the DHS secretary, according to The Oklahoman.
The Edmond Chamber of Commerce also posted about it on Facebook and Instagram, thanking Mullin for speaking with “members and community leaders” about the Department of Homeland Security’s work.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
This isn’t the first time the Trump-appointed DHS boss has gotten into trouble for his short fuse. Before Mullin took over from Kristi “ICE Barbie” Noem in March, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky played a video montage of Mullin’s outbursts during his confirmation hearing. The video showed Mullin threatening to fight someone and endorsing lawmakers engaging in physical fights.
