Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) is getting torched online after dramatically pledging to take a bullet for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—even though he was once caught on camera ducking for cover during the Capitol riot.
Mullin posted to X on Monday, saying he would “lead the breach” and “lay down cover fire” to defend Hegseth, who’s under fire after a New York Times report revealed he shared classified war plans on his personal phone with his wife and lawyer. Hegseth, a former Fox News host, had already come under scrutiny for sending similar details of a Yemen airstrike to a Signal group that included a journalist.
“I will lead the breach. I will lay down cover fire. I will take the high ground. I’ll expose myself to enemy fire to communicate,” Mullin wrote. “We must bring back integrity, focus, and put the Warfighter first inside DOD. I stand with @SecDef @PeteHegseth.”
But Mullin’s tough talk immediately blew up in his face.
Critics pointed out that Mullin has never served in the military—instead, his background includes working as a plumber and hosting a home improvement radio show.
“YOU’RE A FUCKING PLUMBER! YOU’VE NEVER SERVED!!!” one user snapped. “We had the longest war in U.S. history and you sat that shit out the whole time but now you want to be a big tough guy for the idiot that can’t keep a secret. You’re such a fucking joke. No one is scared of you.”
Another added, “‘I’ll lead the breach.’ Markwayne, you sound like a drunk uncle LARPing in the parking lot of a Bass Pro Shop. You couldn’t lead a goddamn three-car funeral procession without turning it into a federal indictment.”
“What are you going to use as a cover fire weapon, a plunger?” one asked. “You’re a fucking plumber not Rambo!”
Then came the Capitol riot receipts.
Users quickly resurfaced photos of Mullin during the January 6th insurrection, when he was caught crouching and visibly shaken as rioters stormed the Capitol.
“Pictured here is Markwayne laying down in the breach during a literal breach. So brave,” another posted, sharing one of the infamous photos.
Others called the whole performance “stolen valor.”
“Stolen valor. You’re not nor have you ever been a soldier,” one user said. “Quit speaking about things you know nothing of.”
Another piled on: “This is felony level cringe posting. They gotta take your internet privileges away. This is how 11-year-old me talked when I watched Black Hawk Down.”
The blowback intensified:
As of now, Mullin hasn’t responded to the backlash. And despite growing pressure, there’s no official word from the Trump camp that Hegseth is on the chopping block. But the internet has already decided—Mullin’s bulletproof bravado isn’t fooling anyone.
