Markwayne Mullin Forced to Address Labeling Alex Pretti a ‘Deranged Individual’

During his tense confirmation hearing as the new Secretary of Homeland Security, Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin expressed regret over calling Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis nurse shot dead by ICE agents, a “deranged individual.”

Mullin was facing questioning from Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, who accused him of behaving like “a cable news commentator in the wake of a crisis.” The Oklahoma Senator made the comment about Pretti on Fox News the day he was shot, calling him “a deranged individual” with a loaded pistol who intended “to cause max damage.”

Alex Pretti was a 37-year-old intensive care nurse and U.S. citizen who was shot and killed by U.S. Border Patrol agents on January 24, during a federal immigration enforcement operation in south Minneapolis. Video of the incident appears to show Pretti standing between an agent and a woman, the agent pushed to the ground before he is pepper-sprayed, wrestled to the ground by six officers, and shot.

The Oklahoma Republican acknowledged that his earlier language was premature. “Those words probably should have been retracted. I shouldn’t have said that,” Mullin said. He added that he had “went out there too fast” and responded “without the facts,” calling that “my fault” and promising that “won’t happen as secretary.”

The issue is politically significant because Mullin is trying to present himself as a steadier public face for DHS after the turbulent end of Kristi Noem‘s tenure. Reuters reported that President Donald Trump tapped Mullin to replace Noem earlier this month after criticism mounted over the administration’s immigration crackdown and her handling of the department.

Peters criticized Noem for publicly framing the U.S. citizens killed in Minneapolis as domestic terrorists instead of waiting for an investigation, then pointed to Mullin’s own comments as evidence that the department needs more restraint at the top. The exchange put Mullin on the defensive at a hearing already complicated by a tense exchange with fellow Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who questioned whether Mullin had the temperament to lead a department whose agents wield immense power.

Paul, who was physically attacked by a neighbor in 2017, recalled that after the assault, Mullin called him a “freakin’ snake” and “completely understood why I had been assaulted.” Paul added, “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.”

To which Mullin replied, “I said I could understand, because of the behavior you were having, that I can understand why your neighbor did what he did. As far as my terms ‘snake in the grass,’ sir, I work around this room to try to fix problems. I’ve worked with many people in this room. Seems like you fight Republicans more than you work with us.”

Still, the controversy may not be enough to derail his nomination. Reuters reported that Mullin appears to have a likely path to confirmation in the Republican-controlled Senate, even as Democrats intensify scrutiny of his record and rhetoric.