"Gramps had to separate the kids!": Senator Markwayne Mullin teases fistfight with Teamsters president in viral video, sparks wild reactions  

On Tuesday, November 14, Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin challenged union labor leader and Teamsters President Sean O’Brien to a fight during a Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing. This comes in the wake of Sean O’Brien tweeting that he could take the Republican senator “any time” or “any place.”

Markwayne Mullin was heard saying in the now-viral video:

“Sir, this is a time, this is a place. You want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults and we can finish it here.”

O’Brien immediately responded: “Okay, that’s fine, perfect.” However, when Marwayne Mullin stood up and began making his way up to the Teamsters president, the committee’s chairman Senator Bernie Sanders attempted to “play the peacemaker,” as reported by Fox News.

As soon as the clipping of the incident surfaced on the internet, it sparked wild reactions. In this regard, an X user commented under @therecount’s tweet on the same.

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Exploring the drama between Senator Markwayne Mullin and Sean O’Brien

On November 14, during a Senate committee hearing at Washington D.C.’s Capitol Hill, GOP Senator Markwayne Mullin teased a fistfight with Teamsters president Sean O’Brien after reading the latter’s latest tweet about him aloud.

O'Brien's tweet from June 21, 2023, read:

“Greedy CEO, who pretends like he’s self-made. In reality, just a clown, fraud. Always has been, always will be. Quit the tough guy act in these Senate hearings. You know where to find me. Anyplace, Anytime, cowboy.”

After reading O’Brien’s tweet, Senator Mullin threatened to fight him then and there as “two consenting adults.” When he asked whether Sean would “like to do it now,” the latter replied that he would. This is when Markwayne Mullin asked the Teamsters president: “Well, stand your butt up then!”

This prompted Sean O’Brien to say “You stand your butt up, big guy.” At this point, the Senator seemed to lose his calm, stood up from his seat, and began approaching the Teamsters president, when Vermont Senator and the committee’s chairman Bernie Sanders intervened, in an attempt to calm down the duo.

Sanders told Mullin:

“Oh, hold on. Oh, stop it. No, no, sit down. You’re a United States Senator, sit down. Act like it."

When Mullin obliged and took back his seat, both he and O’Brien sought permission from Sanders to respond to each other, however, Senator Sanders denied their requests. He also reminded them that it was a Senate hearing and the American people already had enough “contempt for the Congress,” asking them to resolve the matter and get down to business.

However, disregarding Sanders’ speech, the pair continued to slam back at each other. While Mullin accused O’Brien of being “quiet” in the face of a challenge, O’Brien reminded him that he challenged him “to a cage match, acting like a 12-year-old.” The duo also exchanged heated words, with Mullin calling O’Brien “a thug” and the latter calling the former “disrespectful.”

Once again, Bernie Sanders interjected asking the men to “hold it” as he was the one who was on the mic. He also banged his gavel and tried to clear the air by saying:

"We're not here to talk about physical abuse. Hold it…This is a hearing to discuss economic issues … we're not here to talk about fights or anything else."

Ultimately, the pair continued with their bickering, regardless of multiple pleas from Senator Sanders, until the hearing moved on to other lines of questioning from the remaining panel members.

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Neizens has hilarious reactions to the video of Mullin versus O’Brien

The video where Markwayne Mullin and Sean O’Brien exchange heated words has garnered enough traction online, with netizens having hilarious reactions to all three individuals involved. Here are some of the reactions under the comment section of @NoLieWithBTC:

So far, Senator Markwayne Mullin, who’s a former MMA fighter, has responded to the online backlash and trolling. However, as per NBC News, the pair ended the hearing and agreed to have coffee together.

Meanwhile, the Teamsters president appeared on a CNN interview and said that the Senate committee hearing was a success until Markwayne Mullin “decided to erupt.” He further added:

“Unfortunately, today, Mark chose to not act like a U.S. senator and he's gonna have to pay the consequences for that.”

It is noteworthy that this was not the first time Mullin and O’Brien got into an argument. Earlier, in March 2023, the duo exchanged heated words during a similar Senate committee hearing over O’Brien’s salary in comparison to other union members. Back then too, Senator Sanders tried to be the peacemaker.