Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin has been rebuked online after he appeared on Fox News Monday and mused on the smell of war, despite never having served in the military himself.
Mullin, a member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, was discussing the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran when he channelled his inner Lt. Col. Kilgore from Apocalypse Now (1979), who famously relished the smell of napalm in the morning.
War is ugly, the senator declared authoritatively. It smells bad. If anybody has ever been there and been able to smell the war thats happening around you and taste it and fill it in your nostrils and hear it, its something that youll never forget.
And its ugly. And fortunately, you have President [Pete] Hegseth. Sorry, Secretary Hegseth That has got a great relationship with President [Donald] Trump and President Hegseths been there and hes done that.
Despite accidentally elevating the defense secretary to the presidency twice, it was Mullin presuming to speak for U.S. soldiers that sparked uproar.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/markwayne-mullin-iran-airstrikes-war-b2930958.html
ICYMI from Bloomberg: Markwayne Mullins Personal Bond Propels Him to Trump Confidant
Mullins bond with the president has positioned him to be one of the most influential lawmakers in Trumps second term, with both a direct line to the president and congressional ties to help shape his legislative agenda. He stuck by Trump during the times when the presidents political career seemed over through Jan. 6, a second impeachment, and the barrage of criminal charges. In doing so, as Trump returned to the White House, Mullin had demonstrated the attribute he values above all: loyalty.
At the same time, hes one of Trumps most effective attack dogs. He posts on X frequently often more than a dozen times a day defending the administration policies, talking up his nominees, and slapping down the woke mob out to get Trump.
Mullin also played a pivotal role in getting some of Trump�s nominees across the line, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services, according to a senior White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal strategy. The official described him as working tirelessly and being energetic in advancing Trumps goals.
https://www.mullin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-from-bloomberg-markwayne-mullins-personal-bond-propels-him-to-trump-confidant/
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