Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., accused Democratic members of a Senate panel of using the confirmation hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to position themselves as future presidential contenders on Newsmax Thursday.
Speaking on "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE," Mullin criticized Democrats for political maneuvering rather than genuine oversight.
"The hypocrisy of the Democrat Party is so out of control right now. And they're jockeying for positions," Mullin said. "You take most of these individuals that are on this panel right there. Their number one dream is to build a run for president."
Mullin argued that Democratic lawmakers were using their questioning of Kennedy and other nominees as an opportunity to raise their profiles for the 2028 presidential election.
"I think what you're having in this hearing right now and on all these confirmations – when they're digging in on Tulsi [Gabbard] when they're digging in on Kash [Patel], when they're digging in on Pete [Hegseth], when they're digging in on Bobby [RFK Jr.] – is that they're trying to jockey for who the next person is going to be crowned," Mullin said. "Because we know Democrats don't have primaries for the presidency."
"Just last summer, they had no bench to move to," he added. "So they moved from [former President Joe] Biden, whose numbers were in the tank, and [then] went to someone who had worse numbers in [former Vice President Kamala] Harris. And then they were talking about resurrecting Hillary Clinton. Well, all those ships have sailed, and so there's no one left."
Mullin also defended Kennedy's nomination and expressed frustration over Democratic opposition.
"They're actually challenging a guy that's doing something we haven't done in a long time – wanting to change HHS," he said. "We aren't a healthy society; we aren't improving. We're getting worse. Autism is at an all-time high. Obesity is at an all-time high. We have farmers going out of business. We have serious concerns about the foods that we're consuming that other countries around the world aren't. And there's a reason why they're not accepting our farm supplies."
Mullin asserted that Kennedy is the right candidate to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, aligning with President Donald Trump's push to overhaul government agencies and "Make America Healthy Again."
"We have a guy in Bobby Kennedy that is willing to question that," he said. "And I'm excited about it because President Trump wants to get the government working for the people again. And that's what the American people wanted."
Kennedy's confirmation vote in the Senate is expected to be highly contested, with members likely to vote along party lines.
With the GOP holding a slim 53-47 majority in the upper chamber, just a few Republican defections could sink the nomination. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky have previously broken with Trump, raising uncertainty over Kennedy's path to confirmation, U.S. News and World Report reported.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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