A Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on Tuesday took an unexpected turn when a heated exchange between GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and Teamsters union president Sean O’Brien nearly escalated into a fistfight. The incident was promptly defused by Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The tension arose from a Twitter interaction in June, where Mullin and O’Brien discussed the possibility of an MMA charity fight following a contentious congressional hearing. Mullin read aloud O’Brien’s provocative tweet during the Senate hearing: “Greedy CEO who pretends like he’s self-made. In reality, just a clown & fraud. Always has been, always will be. Quit the tough guy act in these Senate hearings. You know where to find me. Anyplace, Anytime cowboy.” The tweet included the hashtag “#LittleManSyndrome” and a photo of Mullin standing on a podium during a debate.
At the hearing, Mullin confronted O’Brien, stating, “Sir, this is a time; this is a place. You want to run your mouth? We can be two consenting adults. We can finish it here.” O’Brien agreed, and the exchange quickly escalated with both challenging each other to stand up.
Mullin stood up, prompting Sen. Bernie Sanders to intervene forcefully, yelling, “Stop it! No, no, sit down! You know, you’re a United States senator.” Despite the verbal sparring, the situation did not escalate physically, and Mullin and O’Brien concluded by agreeing to have coffee together.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident on the other side of the Capitol, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., accused former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of elbowing him in the kidneys. Burchett, who voted against McCarthy as speaker last month, called the incident intentional and confronted McCarthy, who denied the allegation, stating, “If I’d kidney-punched him, he’d be on the ground.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., filed a complaint with the House Ethics Committee regarding the incident. McCarthy dismissed the complaint, suggesting it was a suitable place for Gaetz. Responding to both incidents, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell remarked on X, “Today is another example of why Congress shouldn’t be in session for 5 weeks straight. Weird things happen.”
McConnell, unaware of the incidents, emphasized that controlling everyone’s behavior in the building was the Capitol Police’s responsibility.
