SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
U.S. Sen. Markwaye Mullin (R-Okla.) listens during a November 14, 2023 Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing in Washington, D.C.
(Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
'Sit Down!': Sanders Stops GOP Senator From Fighting Teamsters President at Hearing
A fomenting feud between Sen. Markwayne Mullin—a former undefeated professional mixed martial arts fighter—and Teamsters leader Sean O'Brien nearly erupted into a physical brawl.
Nov 14, 2023
A U.S. Senate hearing on corporate greed and labor organizing took a testy turn on Tuesday as Sen. Bernie Sanders stepped in to stop Republican lawmaker and former professional mixed martial arts fighter Markwayne Mullin from physically fighting Teamsters president Sean O'Brien.
Mullin (R-Okla.)—a former undefeated mixed martial arts pro—and O'Brien appeared to be on a collision course during Tuesday's Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing as the senator reignited a running feud with the labor leader.
It all began at a previous HELP hearing, where O'Brien called Mullin a "greedy CEO" and then took to social media to challenge him to a fight, saying: "You know where to find me. Anyplace, anytime, cowboy." Mullin responded by challenging O'Brien to a charity MMA match.
After rehashing O'Brien's "anyplace, anytime, cowboy" comment, Mullin said Tuesday: "Sir, this is a time, this is a place. You wanna run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults; we can finish it here."
O'Brien retorted, "OK, that's fine; perfect."
Mullin: "You wanna do it now?"
O'Brien: "I'd love to do it right now."
Mullin: "Well stand your butt up, then."
O'Brien: "You stand your butt up, big guy."
As Mullin proceeded to rise to his feet, Sanders (I-Vt.)—who chairs the HELP Committee—interceded.
"Hold it... Stop it. Sit down," Sanders said forcefully while repeatedly hammering his gavel. "You're a United States senator!"
"This is a hearing," he added. "And God knows the American people have enough contempt for Congress, let's not make it worse."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A U.S. Senate hearing on corporate greed and labor organizing took a testy turn on Tuesday as Sen. Bernie Sanders stepped in to stop Republican lawmaker and former professional mixed martial arts fighter Markwayne Mullin from physically fighting Teamsters president Sean O'Brien.
Mullin (R-Okla.)—a former undefeated mixed martial arts pro—and O'Brien appeared to be on a collision course during Tuesday's Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing as the senator reignited a running feud with the labor leader.
It all began at a previous HELP hearing, where O'Brien called Mullin a "greedy CEO" and then took to social media to challenge him to a fight, saying: "You know where to find me. Anyplace, anytime, cowboy." Mullin responded by challenging O'Brien to a charity MMA match.
After rehashing O'Brien's "anyplace, anytime, cowboy" comment, Mullin said Tuesday: "Sir, this is a time, this is a place. You wanna run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults; we can finish it here."
O'Brien retorted, "OK, that's fine; perfect."
Mullin: "You wanna do it now?"
O'Brien: "I'd love to do it right now."
Mullin: "Well stand your butt up, then."
O'Brien: "You stand your butt up, big guy."
As Mullin proceeded to rise to his feet, Sanders (I-Vt.)—who chairs the HELP Committee—interceded.
"Hold it... Stop it. Sit down," Sanders said forcefully while repeatedly hammering his gavel. "You're a United States senator!"
"This is a hearing," he added. "And God knows the American people have enough contempt for Congress, let's not make it worse."
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
A U.S. Senate hearing on corporate greed and labor organizing took a testy turn on Tuesday as Sen. Bernie Sanders stepped in to stop Republican lawmaker and former professional mixed martial arts fighter Markwayne Mullin from physically fighting Teamsters president Sean O'Brien.
Mullin (R-Okla.)—a former undefeated mixed martial arts pro—and O'Brien appeared to be on a collision course during Tuesday's Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing as the senator reignited a running feud with the labor leader.
It all began at a previous HELP hearing, where O'Brien called Mullin a "greedy CEO" and then took to social media to challenge him to a fight, saying: "You know where to find me. Anyplace, anytime, cowboy." Mullin responded by challenging O'Brien to a charity MMA match.
After rehashing O'Brien's "anyplace, anytime, cowboy" comment, Mullin said Tuesday: "Sir, this is a time, this is a place. You wanna run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults; we can finish it here."
O'Brien retorted, "OK, that's fine; perfect."
Mullin: "You wanna do it now?"
O'Brien: "I'd love to do it right now."
Mullin: "Well stand your butt up, then."
O'Brien: "You stand your butt up, big guy."
As Mullin proceeded to rise to his feet, Sanders (I-Vt.)—who chairs the HELP Committee—interceded.
"Hold it... Stop it. Sit down," Sanders said forcefully while repeatedly hammering his gavel. "You're a United States senator!"
"This is a hearing," he added. "And God knows the American people have enough contempt for Congress, let's not make it worse."
From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.