A U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday became volatile as Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) stood up to fight Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien.

Mullin read a tweet where O’Brien said he would take him “any time, any place.”

“Sir, this is a time. This is a place. If you want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults. We can finish this here,” Mullin said.

“Okay, that’s fine. Perfect,” O’Brien replied.

“You want to do it now?” Mullin asked.

“I’d love to do it right now,” O’Brien said.

“Well, stand your butt up then,” Mullin replied.

“You stand your butt up,” O’Brien commented.

Mullin proceeded to stand up and Sen. Bernie Sanders intervened before a physical altercation took place.

“Sit down! You know you’re a United States senator,” Sanders said.

WATCH:

Social media users reacted to the exchange:

This isn’t the first time Mullin and O’Brien have gotten into a heated exchange during a Senate hearing.

Western Lensman writes:

FLASHBACK: SEN. MULLIN VS. TEAMSTER BOSS: ROUND ONE

Today isn’t the first @SenMullin vs. @TeamsterSOB dust-up. The heated feud started in a March 2023 hearing, when Mullin accused unions of using physical intimidation on his plumbing company, and told Mullin:

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“Sir, you don’t know what hard work is.”

O’Brien accused Mullin of being a “greedy CEO.”

A lot of fireworks here. This feud has been simmering for a while.

Bernie Sanders also got to play referee in this bout.

WATCH:

The Hill reported on the latest dust-up between the GOP senator and union boss:

The purpose of the hearing, which was called for by Sanders, was show how unions are improving the lives of working families.

Mullin argued that he was trying to expose O’Brien as a “thug” after the Teamsters leader tweeted at him after a prior contentious Health, Education and Labor Committee hearing in March, when O’Brien called Mullin, who previously owned a plumbing company, a “greedy CEO,” and Mullin told the union official to “shut his mouth.”

The Oklahoma senator didn’t back down or apologize when later asked about his conduct.

“He called me out. … He said anytime, anyplace. You don’t call me out and say ‘anytime, anyplace,’ and then not back it up what you said,” Mullin said.

“I answered his call. Period,” he added.

Asked if he should be held to a higher standard as a member of the U.S. Senate, Mullin said: “I’m still a guy. He called me. He said it. I just answered the bell. That was all.”

The Senate hearing dust-up wasn’t the only confrontation reported at Capitol Hill Tuesday.

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) accused former House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) of elbowing him in the back with a “clean shot to the kidneys.”

Congressman Accuses Kevin McCarthy Of Assaulting Him With A “Clean Shot To The Kidneys”

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