‘So Explosive!’ Steve Bannon Celebrates Rand Paul’s Wild Takedown of Trump DHS Nominee Markwayne Mullin

LEFT: Markwayne Mullin (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) RIGHT: Steve Bannon (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

MAGA media mogul Steve Bannon celebrated Senator Rand Paul’s (R-KY) viral takedown of Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, during Mullin’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

“Just moments ago, we’re going to play a clip that was so explosive that Fox News cut away. Let’s go ahead and play this: Senator Rand Paul about Senator Markwayne Mullin,” declared Bannon before rolling the tape.

In the clip, Paul excoriated Mullin’s celebration of Paul being assaulted. Notably, Fox did not take Paul’s comments live, but it also didn’t cut away from them.

RAND PAUL: I entered the Senate the same year that Representative Gabby Giffords was shot. I knew then that the state of political rhetoric was encouraging violence. I think it’s imperative now more than ever that the leaders in our country disavow violence and lead by example. Through the years, I’ve personally been exposed multiple times to political violence. I was in the right field batting cage when the crazed shooter unleashed nearly 200 shots at our congressional baseball practice. I’ll never forget Steve Scalise valiantly trying to drag his body away as the gunman continued.

Later that year, a Trump-hating felon attacked me from behind in my yard. I was just straightening up from picking up a tree limb. I was wearing noise cancelation headphones. Never saw him coming. Running pell-mell down the hill, I was struck in the back. The force of the blow sent us through the air nearly 10 feet down the hill until his shoulder impaled me as we hit the ground. Six of my ribs were broken. Three of the ribs were completely separated such that for weeks, the ends of the rib would grind upon each other. My lung was damaged. For weeks, I could inhale but not have the rib strength to exhale. I developed two pneumonias. The pain was such that I could only sit up in bed by tying a rope to the foot of the bed and pulling myself up. But even then, the pain was that of a thousand knives. Over the year of recovery, I began to cough up blood. I underwent removal of part of my lung. Complications led to an infection in the space between my lung and chest wall. I spent a week in the hospital having the infection lavaged every six hours through a chest tube.

Recently, Senator Mullin, if you have time to listen, you were confronted by constituents that were angry because you voted against my amendment to stop all funding for refugee welfare programs. Instead of explaining your vote to continue these welfare programs for refugees, you decided to transfer the blame. You told the media that I was a freaking snake, and that you completely understood why I had been assaulted. I was shocked that you would justify and celebrate this violent assault that caused me so much pain, and my family so much pain. I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force. You might argue you were mad and upset about being confronted by your constituents.

But Senator Mullin, your constituents are justifiably upset with you. By now, most of America knows that the Somali welfare fraud in Minnesota stole over $9 billion. But instead of defending your vote, you took to continue-, the vote to continue these refugee welfare programs, you chose to lash out at me. You went on to brag that you’d already told me, to my face, that you completely understood and approved of the assault. Well, that’s a lie. You got a chance today. You can either continue to lie, or you can correct the record. You have never had the courage to look me in the eye and tell me that the assault was justified. So today, you’ll have your chance. Today, I’ll give you that chance to clear the record. Tell it to my face, if that’s what you believe, tell it me today. Tell the world why you believe I deserve to be assaulted from behind, have six ribs broken and a damaged lung. Tell me to my face why you think I deserved it. And while you’re at it, explain to the American public why they should trust a man with anger issues to set the proper example for ICE and Border Patrol agents. Explain to the American public how a man who has no regrets about brawling in a Senate committee can set a proper example for over 250,000 men and women who work at the Department of Homeland Security.

“Okay, we’re gonna grab the response in a moment. I don’t know, I take it that’s a no vote,” joked Bannon. “I’m just kidding. This is how it’s starting off today. We’re gonna get back to Mullin’s response. That’s a great way to start a confirmation hearing, isn’t it?”

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