Markwayne Mullin ‘surprised’ after Trump calls to name him Homeland Security Secretary

WASHNIGTON, DC: Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) on Thursday, March 5, said he was surprised after President Donald Trump called him to announce that he would be the next Homeland Security Secretary.

The appointment comes as Trump moves Kristi Noem out of the role to take a different position within the administration.

Mullin surprised by Trump’s DHS nomination

Mullin told reporters in the Capitol that the news caught him off guard shortly after the announcement was made on Thursday afternoon.

“I am super excited about this opportunity. It came — not as a complete surprise — but it came at a little bit of a surprise for us,” he said.

The senator explained that he received a call from the White House switchboard out of the blue and found out about the new job “a little bit before you guys did.”

Reflecting on the timing, he added, “I’ve got to be honest with you, I wasn’t expecting the call today. But super excited.”

Mullin focused on keeping homeland secure

Mullin is eager to begin his work at the department, noting that it has a very large reach.

“The Department of Homeland Security has a very broad jurisdiction and I think there’s a lot of work we need to do and I’m excited,” he stated.

He emphasized that his primary focus is “to keep the homeland secure” and that he intends to protect all Americans regardless of their political leanings.

“I want people to understand, when I go into this position, yes, I’m a Republican, yes, I’m conservative, but the Department of Homeland Security is to keep everybody safe, regardless of if you support me or you don’t support me, regardless of what your thoughts are,” Mullin said.

Mullin seeks bipartisan support for DHS

To get the department moving, Mullin expressed a willingness to earn votes from both parties and meet with Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

“If Mr. Schumer wants to sit down and talk to me, I’m going to sit down and talk with him,” he said, adding that “if they have real concerns, I’m going to listen to them. I’m going to see if it’s practical” to make changes. 

When asked about Noem, who is moving to a role focused on regional security in the Western Hemisphere, Mullin called her a friend. 

He defended her tenure by saying, “She was tasked to do a very difficult job and I think she has performed the best she can do underneath the circumstances.”

He concluded that “there’s an opportunity to build off successes and there’s also opportunities to build off things that didn’t go as planned.”