Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin challenged Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien to a fight during a hearing on Tuesday.
O’Brien was present to speak to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined by other union leaders, including United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain and Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants. The committee is chaired by Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The Teamsters chief was instrumental in helping tens of thousands of United Parcel Service employees get wage increases and other benefits as part of a wish-list that helped avoid a major, long-term strike in the delivery industry.
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Mullin questioned O’Brien during the hearing, saying that his demeanor was less confrontational than the last time the Teamsters representative was before the committee.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) challenges Teamsters leader Sean O’Brien to a physical fight, standing up midway through a Senate HELP Committee hearing.
Chair Bernie Sanders (I-VT) repeatedly attempts to break them up: “You’re a United States senator.” pic.twitter.com/E4U624cDsS
— The Recount (@therecount) November 14, 2023
Since that meeting, O’Brien had posted five separate times about Mullin on X, formerly Twitter, according to the senator. The last post reportedly referred to Mullin as “a greedy CEO who pretends like he’s self-made.”
The post also encouraged Mullin to “quit the tough guy act” during Senate hearings, adding, “You know where to find me, any place, anytime, cowboy.”
“Sir, this is a time, this is a place,” Mullin told O’Brien. “You wanna run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults; we can finish it here.”
O’Brien said, “that’s fine” and it led to Mullin escalating the situation.
“You wanna do it now?” Mullin said.
“I’d love to do it now,” O’Brien replied.
“Stand your butt up then,” Mullin said.
“You stand your butt up,” O’Brien said.
After Mullin stood up and some gasps filled the room, Sanders immediately told Mullin to sit down, reiterating that he is a U.S. senator.
Newsweek reached out to Mullin, O’Brien, the Teamsters, and Sanders, via email for comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is released.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.