During Hearing, Senator Challenges Union Chief to Fight

"God knows the American people have enough contempt for Congress. Let's not make it worse," Sen. Bernie Sanders said as a Republican senator challenged the president of the Teamsters union to a fight during a hearing Tuesday. When it was his turn to ask questions during the hearing on labor unions, Sen. Markwayne Mullin read out Sean O'Brien's posts on X calling him a "clown" and a "fraud" and telling him to "quit the tough guy act" after a previous clash in March, CBS News reports. "You want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults, we can finish it here," Mullin said. O'Brien replied, "OK, that's fine. Perfect."

"You want to do it now? Stand your butt up then," Mullin said, per the Hill. "You stand your butt up," O'Brien replied, prompting Mullin, a former mixed martial arts fighter, to rise from his chair in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee room. Sanders, the committee's chair, banged his gavel and said, "No, no, no, sit down. Sit down! You're a United States senator, sit down." When Mullin tried to suggest a cage fight to benefit a charity, Sanders attempted to get things back on track, telling the senator, "If you have questions on any economic issues, anything that was said, go for it."

The argument continued for around five minutes, with plenty of name-calling but no fighting, NBC News reports. O'Brien told Mullin to "grow up" and suggested they discuss their differences over coffee. After the hearing, Mullin said that in his March posts on X, O'Brien had said "any time, any place," the Hill reports. "He called me. He said it. I just answered the bell. That was all." Earlier Tuesday, a reporter witnessed a bizarre confrontation between two Republican congressmen. "Today is another example of why Congress shouldn't be in session for 5 weeks straight. Weird things happen," Doug Andres, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's press secretary, said in a post on X. (More Teamsters stories.)