A U.S. Senator and the president of the Teamsters union nearly came to blows during a Senate hearing -- and it was Bernie Sanders who got things back under control.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Sean O'Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, got into it on Tuesday, with Mullin suggesting they "finish it here" and O'Brien responding that he'd "love to do it right now."
Mullin, a former mixed martial arts fighter, had apparently been waiting for this moment for some time -- and he brought receipts. The senator called out O'Brien for posting about him on social media, and read from a post that suggested he was a "fraud."
"Greedy CEO who pretends like he's self made. In reality, just a clown & fraud. Always has been, always will be. Quit the tough guy act in these Senate hearings. You know where to find me. Anyplace, Anytime cowboy," O'Brien posted to X on June 21, along with a photo that shows Mullin standing on a platform behind a podium in an attempt to appear taller. He ended the post with the hashtag "LittleManSyndrome."
After reading the tweet, Mullin said: "Sir, this is a time, this is a place. You want to run your mouth. We can be two consenting adults. We can finish it here."
"Ok. That's fine," O'Brien responded. "Perfect.
"You want to do it now?" the senator asked, to which O'Brien responded that he'd "love to do it right now."
Mullin then taunted O'Brien to "stand your butt up, then." Holding his ground, O'Brien quipped "You stand your butt up, big guy."
As Mullin rose from his chair, Sanders, who was seated to his left, stepped in.
"Hold it! Stop it!" he demanded. "Sit down! You know, you're a United States senator! Sit down!"
O'Brien asked if he could speak up, but Sanders wouldn't let him.
"No, you can't. This is a hearing and God knows the American people have enough contempt for Congress. Let's not make it worse."
"I don't like thugs and bullies," Mullin shouted over Sanders.
"And I don't like you, 'cause you just described yourself," O'Brien yelled back.
The two men continued to taunt each other during Mullin's time at the microphone, which prompted Sanders to bang the gavel.
"We're not here to talk about fights or anything else," Sanders declared.
The incident happened during a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee called "Standing Up Against Corporate Greed: How Unions are Improving the Lives of Working Families."
After the hearing, the 82-year-old Sanders called the exchange "absurd," NPR reported.
"We were there to be talking about, and did talk about, the crisis facing working families in this country, the growing gap between the very rich and everybody else and the role that unions are playing in improving the standard of living of the American people," Sanders said. "We're not there to talk about cage fighting."