Sean Hannity apparently thinks it’s totally cool and normal for a United States senator to challenge an adversary to a fistfight to resolve a dispute at work.
The Fox News host interviewed Sen. Markwayne Mullin on Tuesday after the Oklahoma Republican challenged labor union leader Sean O’Brien to get up and fight during a Senate committee hearing.
In a wild back-and-forth, Mullin, a former MMA fighter, criticized O’Brien, president of the Teamsters union, for mocking him on social media and told him to “stand your butt up.”
Hannity told Mullin his popularity with the people of Oklahoma would “probably go up tenfold” due to the altercation.
“He called you out. You called him out for calling you out. And that’s kind of old school the way it used to be,” he told the senator.
Hannity also recalled getting into fistfights almost every day with his friends when playing sports as a child and wondered why that kind of behavior is frowned upon these days.
“You know, when all of a sudden did we become that woke that the thought of two people, one responding to a threat directly, saying ‘OK, you threatened me. Here’s your opportunity. Take me up on it?’” he added.
According to Mullin, “It’s political correctness.”
“It’s all of a sudden, you got to worry about somebody’s feelings, but oh, by the way, the left can say whatever they want,” Mullin said.
Then, Hannity upped the machismo, telling Mullin he believes “any other response kind of would have been a little gutless.”
Mullin added, “If I didn’t do that, people in Oklahoma would be pretty upset at me… I’m supposed to represent Oklahoma values.”
Tuesday’s theatrics prompted backlash from several Democrats, who criticized the antics as childish and unacceptable.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the committee chairman, had to bang his gavel to break up the clash, reminding Mullin: “You’re a United States senator!”
Hannity’s interview with Mullin can be viewed below.