Fox News personality Laura Ingraham surprised viewers after she admitted that Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders was the "voice of reason" after Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin challenged Teamsters union leader Sean O’Brien to a fight during a Senate hearing.
In a rare moment of agreement across the political aisle, Ingraham criticized the alarming confrontation that unfolded and even appeared to express astonishment at her own praise for Sanders, who admonished Mullin and ordered him to remain seated, reminding him of his position as a United States Senator.
Ingraham said:
“I never thought I’d say this, but Bernie Sanders seems to be the voice of reason here. Everything you just saw was a complete and utter embarrassment."
"It shouldn’t be what is projected to our kids from our nation’s capital. Reminder to all of you: The children are watching.”
"You're supposed to be the adults in the room so act like it."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
The episode did not go over well on Capitol Hill, coming amid reports that former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had come up behind Tennessee Republican Representative Tim Burchett and elbowed him with a "clean shot to the kidneys."
Burchett said he chased after McCarthy to demand an explanation but that the former Speaker "did what he always does, denies it and then blames somebody else," saying the encounter was a "heated one" but that he nonetheless chose to "back off."
Many were surprised Ingraham had not only called out such terrible Republican behavior but had also praised Sanders, whose politics are diametrically opposed to those of Fox News.
Despite the public embarrassment, Mullin remained undeterred and unapologetic, asserting to Ingraham's colleague Sean Hannity that he wouldn't tolerate insults and highlighting the supposed "fear" he instilled in O'Brien.
Mullin doubled down in a separate interview with CNN, saying he was merely "standing up to the bully" after O'Brien posted on on X, formerly Twitter, that Mullin was a "greedy CEO who pretends like he's self made" adding that he should "quit the tough guy act in these Senate hearings."
O'Brien, unperturbed by the incident, described Mullin as "one of the most powerful people in the country" who was "acting like a 12-year-old in a schoolyard because [he] didn't get [his] way."
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