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."
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
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.