Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, caused a stir over the weekend by suggesting that violence against journalists would reduce the number of “false stories” they write, echoing President Donald Trump’s label of the media as “fake news.”
In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) early Saturday, Mullin was inside the Capitol and referenced a historical incident from 1890. He described how a reporter, Charles Kincaid, shot and killed Representative William Taulbee a year after Taulbee left office. The senator then made his controversial comment.
“There’s a lot we can say about reporters of the stories they write, but I bet they would write a lot less false stories — as President Trump says, ‘fake news’ — if we could still handle our differences that way,” Mullin said.
After The Oklahoman published a story about his remarks, Mullin took to X to criticize the paper. He suggested that he had been joking when he made the statement about violence.
“While you’re at it, don’t forget I also JOKED about bringing back caning to settle political disputes,” Mullin wrote. “Thanks for watching my videos.”
He went on to challenge the paper’s reporting, saying, “Imagine being a newspaper this out of touch with Oklahoma,” and included an image showing the strong Republican voting history of the state.
The senator, who has served in Congress since 2013 and was elected to the Senate in 2022, is no stranger to controversy. In 2023, he almost got into a physical altercation with Teamsters union president Sean O’Brien during a Senate hearing. The heated exchange prompted Mullin to tell O’Brien to “stand your butt up,” while Sen. Bernie Sanders urged the two to stop.
Mullin is a staunch ally of President Trump and has often expressed support for Trump’s stance on the media.
The reporter who killed Taulbee, Charles Kincaid, was acquitted of murder in the case, with the court ruling that he acted in self-defense, according to a congressional history website.
Mullin’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the matter.
Watch the clip below:
History from the House: A Reporter-Congressman murder mystery. pic.twitter.com/rPn2TC4haP
— Markwayne Mullin (@SenMullin) April 5, 2025
