Mullin agrees to private meeting with Senate panel about foreign trips

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., on Wednesday agreed to a private meeting with members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee to discuss his overseas trips after the subject led to tensions during his public confirmation hearing.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., had asked Mullin about comments he made, saying he had experienced the "smell of war." Peter asked Mullin to elaborate on where he had gone, but Mullin indicated the trip he took was classified.

“I just said that this was classified, and the dates, locations and the mission,” he said, according to The Hill. “But in 2015 I was asked to train with a very small contingency and go to a certain area… I have spoken general[ly] about my experiences, but I’ve never spoke specifically on details, on dates or on the mission, and that was official."

The members of the panel ultimately agreed to the private discussion.

President Donald Trump tapped Mullin to serve as Homeland Security secretary this month, after he sacked Kristi Noem. Her tenure had been mired in controversy due to deportation tactics and her forward facing promotion of DHS efforts.

During a congressional hearing before her ouster, Noem indicated that Trump had signed off on a major ad campaign that featured her prominently. That ad campaign has come under scrutiny over the bidding process.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.