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周三上午，参议院国土安全和政府事务委员会主席、肯塔基州共和党参议员兰德·保罗在审议俄克拉荷马州共和党参议员马克韦恩·穆林被提名接替克里斯蒂·诺姆担任国土安全部部长的听证会上，毫不留情地展开了开场白。
保罗指控穆林为政治暴力开脱，并要求他重复过去称自己为“毒蛇”以及表示理解保罗为何在2017年遭到邻居暴力袭击的言论。
“你从来没有勇气直视我的眼睛，告诉我那次袭击是合理的，”保罗在开场陈述中对委员会表示。“所以今天你将有机会。今天我会给你一个澄清记录的机会。
“如果那是你所相信的，就当面告诉我。今天就告诉我。告诉全世界你为什么认为我活该从背后遭到袭击，六根肋骨断裂和肺部受损。
“当面告诉我你为什么认为我罪有应得。”
穆林在准备好的陈述前即兴回应了保罗的言语攻击。
“我必须回应主席称我为骗子的言论，”穆林开口道。“房间里的每个人都知道我非常直言不讳，直奔主题。如果我有什么要说的，我会直接当面告诉你。”
穆林将保罗的言论引回到两人作为众议院共和党成员时的一次私下谈话。
“我说过，考虑到你当时的行为，我能理解为什么你的邻居……会那么做，”穆林说。“至于我用的‘草丛中的毒蛇’这个说法，先生，我在这个房间里努力解决问题。我和这个房间里的许多人都合作过。
“看来你和共和党人作对的时候比和我们合作的时候多。我确实回应了那些言论。”
穆林向保罗保证会直言不讳。
“如果我有什么要说的，房间里的每个人都知道我会如何直接面对你，”他说。“我会公开说，也会私下说，但我绝不会在背后说你的坏话。”
穆林承认与保罗“相处不融洽”，并表示保罗“花了数百万美元在针对我的竞选活动中”。
“这丝毫不会阻止我履行职责，”穆林继续说道。“我可以和房间里的每个人都有不同的意见，但作为国土安全部部长，我会保护每个人，包括肯塔基州，就像保护我俄克拉荷马州的后院一样。
“这比我们之间的党派争吵更重要。这比我们的政治分歧更重要。”
“事实是，我有工作要做，我根本不喜欢在任何事情上失败。所以如果你愿意放下这些，我可以把它放在一边。让我赢得你的尊重。我会争取得到这个职位。我不会让你失望。我不会退缩于挑战。我也会在错的时候承认。我并不完美。我不声称自己完美。我和其他人一样会犯错。但错误，如果由你自己承担，你可以从中学习并继续前进。而我会向你承诺这一点。”
保罗似乎没有兴趣搁置这场争执。
“记录应该表明，我认为你缺乏悔意：没有道歉，也没有对支持我的言论表示遗憾，”保罗在第一轮质询中表示。“你完全清楚我所遭受的暴力。你毫无悔意。你所争论的唯一一点是我在众议院时是否见过你。
“我不认为我们在众议院时见过，而你唯一不满的是我当面称你为骗子。所以这实际上更多是关于你所谓的‘男子气概’。”
有三位消息人士告诉福克斯新闻的比尔·梅卢金，保罗阻止阿拉巴马州共和党参议员凯蒂·布里特在听证会开始时介绍穆林，迫使俄克拉荷马州共和党参议员詹姆斯·兰克福德取而代之，因此受到了一些批评。
“兰德·保罗完全被他对特朗普总统的仇恨和琐碎的个人争吵蒙蔽了双眼，”一位资深参议院共和党消息人士告诉梅卢金。“他今天的行为就像一条愤怒的毒蛇——一个无可救药的伪君子。
“什么样的言论自由倡导者会禁止穆林议员选择发表介绍？”这位消息人士问道。“什么样的共和党人会禁止共和党参议员表达对同事的支持？为什么这个人还能继续执掌共和党权力？”
埃里克·麦克是福克斯新闻数字版的记者，负责报道突发新闻。
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., grilled Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., on his history of personal attacks against Paul during his opening statement at Wednesday’s Homeland Security confirmation hearing.
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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., pulled no punches in his opening statement Wednesday morning at the Department of Homeland Security Committee hearing on fellow GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to be Kristi Noem’s successor as secretary.
Paul, chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, accused Mullin of excusing political violence and challenging him to repeat past remarks of having called him a “snake” and saying he understood why Paul was attacked violently by a neighbor in 2017.
“You have never had the courage to look me in the eye and tell me that the assault was justified,” Paul told the committee in his opening remarks. “So today you’ll have your chance. Today I’ll give you that chance to clear the record.
“Tell it to my face if that’s what you believe. Tell it to me today. Tell the world why you believe I deserve to be assaulted from behind, have six ribs broken and a damaged lung.
“Tell me to my face why you think I deserved it.”
Mullin opened his own remarks off the cuff before his prepared statement to address Paul’s verbal attack.
“I have to address the remarks the chairman made, calling me a liar,” Mullin opened. “Everybody in this room knows that I’m very blunt and direct to the point. And if I have something to say, I’ll say it directly to your face.”
Mullin pointed Paul back to a private conversation back in their days as House GOP members.
“I said I could understand because of the behavior you were having, that I could understand why your neighbor…did what he did,” Mullin said. “As far as my terms, the snake in the grass, sir, I work around this room to try to fix problems. I’ve worked with many people in this room.
“It seems like you fight Republicans more than you work with us. I did address those remarks.”
Mullin vowed to Paul to be blunt and direct.
“If I do have something to say, everybody in this room knows how I’ll come straight to you,” he said. “I’ll say it publicly and I’ll say it privately, but I’ll never say it behind your back.”
Mullin acknowledged about Paul, “We just don’t get along,” and saying Paul has “spent millions of dollars in my campaigns against me.”
“That doesn’t keep me at all from doing my job,” Mullin continued. “I can have different opinions with everybody in this room, but as secretary of homeland, I’ll be protecting everybody, including Kentucky, as much as I will my own backyard in Oklahoma.
“It’s bigger than the partisan bickering that we have. It’s bigger than the political differences we have.”
“The truth is, I have a job to do, and I don’t like to fail at anything at all. So I can set it aside, if you’re willing to set it aside. Let me earn your respect. I’m going to earn the job. I won’t fail you. I won’t back down from a challenge. And I’ll also admit when I’m wrong. I’m not perfect. I don’t claim to be perfect. I make mistakes just like anybody else. But mistakes, if you own them, you can learn from them and you can move ahead. And I’ll make that commitment to you _.”
Paul showed no interest in setting the feud aside.
“The record should show, and I think we’ll show a lack of contrition: No apology and no regrets for your support,” Paul picked up in his first line of questioning. “You completely understand the violence that was perpetrated on me. You’re unrepentant. The only thing you quibble about is whether I met you somehow when you’re in the House.”
“I don’t think we ever met when you were in the House, and this idea that the only thing you’re upset about is not that you are for violence. What you’re upset about is that I called you a liar because you said it to my face. So it’s really more about this machismo that you have.”
Paul was under some scrutiny for blocking fellow Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., from introducing Mullin at the start of the hearing, forcing Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., to do the introduction instead, three sources told Fox News’ Bill Melugin.
“Rand Paul has become completely blinded by his hatred of President Trump and petty personal squabbles,” a senior Senate Republican source told Melugin. “His actions today were those of a seething snake — and a hopeless hypocrite.”
“What kind of free speech advocate would bar Sen. Mullin’s choice to deliver his introduction from speaking?” the source asked. “What kind of Republican would bar a fellow Republican Senator from voicing their support of a colleague? Why is this guy allowed to hold a Republican gavel anymore?”
Eric Mack is a writer for Fox News Digital covering breaking news.
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