GOP Senator Says We Need to Get Over His ‘Joke’ About Killing Journalists for ‘Fake News’
The U.S. has long touted the power and independence of its fourth estate, yet this administration and its GOP allies seem determined to undermine—if not dismantle—it all.
Photo: Screenshot Politics
So, I have a fun update about Sen. Markwayne Mullin, the GOP senator from Oklahoma best known for challenging a union leader to a duel in 2023, and for his childish feud with former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), for your Monday!
Over the weekend, Mullin posted a two-minute video to his official congressional social media profile in which he recounts the tale of the 1890 murder of a former congressman, who was shot by a journalist at the U.S. Capitol. In the video, Mullin chillingly wields this as an example of what he thinks should be done to journalists who publish stories he dislikes. “Now, there’s a lot we could say about reporters and the stories they write, but I bet they would write a lot less false stories—as President Trump says, ‘fake news’—if we could still handle our differences that way,” Mullin says. He then whimsically remarks that some of the slain politician’s blood stains from 1890 are still visible on the steps he’s walking on. Cool!
A spokesperson for Mullin did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his apparent endorsement of political violence against journalists. As of early Monday, the video has about 30,000 views.