GOP senator challenges Teamsters president to fist fight on the Senate floor

In a Tuesday Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing about unions, Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin confronted Teamsters President Sean O’Brien about social media posts he had previously made, challenging him to a fight.

Mullin noted one of five posts reportedly issued by O’Brien on X, which stated, "greedy CEO who pretends like he’s self made … what a clown. Fraud, always has been, always will be. Quit the tough guy act in these Senate hearings. You know where to find me, any place, any time cowboy."

"Sir, this is a time, this is a place. You want to run your mouth? We can be two consenting adults, we can finish it here," Mullin said.

"Okay, that’s fine, perfect," O’Brien responded.

"You want to do it now?" Mullin asked.

"I’d love to do it right now," O’Brien stated.

"Well stand your butt up then," Mullin said, to which O’Brien responded, "you stand your butt up."

It was at this point that Mullin stood up, which prompted Chairman Bernie Sanders to shout, "oh hold on, stop it, sit down. You know you’re a United States Senator …  This is a hearing, and God knows the American people have enough contempt for Congress."

Mullin and O’Brien continued shouting at each other, calling each other thugs, and O’Brien backtracking saying that the senator "challenged me to a cage match acting like a 12-year-old school yard bully."

"You have questions on any economic issues, anything that's like go for it. We're not here to talk about physical abuse," Sanders told Mullin.

Mullin said that he was trying to "expose this thug to who he is," stating that in 2013 he was suspended from the Teamsters for intimidating members, organized the intimidation of the Top Chef crew, which resulted in the arrests of five Teamsters members, and said he would "plead the fifth" if asked to testify on his involvement, and was removed in 2017 as lead negotiator by then-President James Hoffa Jr, nand in 2022 said "he wanted to bring a mob mentality back to the Teamsters."

"This is your guy," Mullin told Sanders.

Mullin then told O’Brien that there’s a charity event on April 30 in Tulsa Oklahoma.

"How about we do it for charity at the Smoke & Guns in Tulsa, Oklahoma?" Mullin proposed.

"You want to fight me?" O’Brien stated.

"What did you say by any time any place?" Mullin asked, to which O’Briend responded with "let’s have coffee, discuss our differences."

This isn’t the first time that Muillin has challenged O’Brien to a fight. Referencing the same X post, Mullin wrote on June 26, "An attention-seeking union Teamster boss is trying to be punchy after our Senate hearing. Okay, I accept your challenge. MMA fight for charity of our choice. Sept 30th in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I’ll give you 3 days to accept."