alongside matt and he will be shocked to learn that matt gaetz did not endear himself to mark wayne mullen. gaetz has called him a disgrace to the republican party and mullen has shared some pretty unflattering anecdotes about matt gaetz like this one from last year. >> this is a guy that didn't have some of the media didn't give a time of day two after he was accused of sleeping with an underage girl. but there's a reason why no one in the conference came to defend him because we had all seen the videos he was showing on the house floor that all of us had walked away of the girls he has slept with, he would brag about how he would crush ed medicine and chase it with an energy drink so he could go all night, this is obviously before he got married and so when that accusation came out no one defended him. >> that was how mark wayne mullen talked about matt gaetz a year ago. but this week. president-elect trump has turned up the pressure on senators like mark wayne mullen. on monday trump posted a glowing message about senator mullen on his social media site calling him a great fighter and a

i know mark wayne mullen, i served with him. i know he doesn't think matt gaetz would make a good attorney general. i know if he could vote in a vacuum, i would not vote to confirm matt gaetz. but you did hear him being careful. he did say that gaetz has to be confirmed by the senate. i don't think he necessarily committed to supporting gaetz, but certainly you wish that these republicans could be more honest and open about what they really think and feel. in some cases, we don't have to speculate, we've heard them. you played the clip. >> if he could vote in a vacuum like the way they elected john thune. i want to play what matt gaetz said about the department of justice, because this matters. >> i don't care if it takes every second of our time and every ounce of our energy, we either get this government back on our side or we defund and get rid of, abolish the fbi, cdc, atf, doj, every last one of them if they do not come to heel. [ applause ] and i don't think it's too much to ask. >> come to heel. like dogs. what does that

. >> that was republican house speaker mark johnson, and wayne mullen both signaling their support foring advice of senate consent. and using september resources. it's not enough that republicans have majority in the september. the president-elect is still pressuring senators to abdicate their constitutionally- prescribed role, so that he can ensure picks like matt gaetz and rfk jr. can be to his cabinet. trump could begin his term, not by governing but by ruling. leah, class is in session. can you please explain to our viewers, what they are. and what the prospect is used to confirm some or all of his picks is sounding the alarm bell for law scholars. >> reporter: recess appointments refers to the president's ability to make appointments to positions that would otherwise require senate confirmation, during recess of the senate. historically, recess were used when transportation wasn't great, back in the 17, 1800s and you couldn't get senators to washington, d.c. and in that situation, where you didn't actually have the senate back in session, presidents could fill positions, with rece

joining me, republican senator mark wayne mullen of oklahoma.come to "meet the press." >> thanks for having me on. >> thank you for being here. i want to start with former florida congressman matt gaetz who former president trump announced as pick for attorney general. you said you trust his decision making, but you've been critical of gaetz as well. here's a little bit of what you've said. >> we've all seen the videos on the house fall we walked away, all the girls he slept with. he walked up to me and said she's a fine -- and put the b word in place there. that's the type of person matt gaetz is. >> you clearly have questions about his character, do you believe he's qualified to serve as attorney general? >> there's no question we've had our differences, that's no secrete. moving forward, i do respect president trump's right to appoint the individuals. but congress has to advise and consent and he'll go through the scrutiny as every other individual. i'll give him a fair shot like every individual and the senate has to confirm him. it's a toug

we have republican senator mark wayne mullen of oklahoma. welcome to "meet the press," senator mullen. >> thanks for having me on, kristen. >> well, thank you for being here. i want to start with former florida congressman matt gaetz who of course president-elect trump as we just said announced this week was his pick for attorney general. you have said you trust mr. trump's decision making in naming gaetz. but you have been critical of gaetz as well. here's a little bit of what you have had to say. >> we had all seen the videos he was showing on the house floor that all of us had walked away of the girls that he has slept with. >> he walked up to me and said governor kristi noem. she's a fine and you can put the b. word in place there. this is the type of individual matt gaetz is. >> you clearly have questions about matt gaetz's character but do you believe that matt gaetz is qualified to serve as attorney general? >> you know, there's no question that matt gaetz and i have had our differences and that's -- that's no secret. moving forward, i

. >> speak of fools, republican senator mark wayne mullen, mitch mcconnell's real leggy acy is t he was in action when we needed him and putting special interests above american interests. my advice going forward is that the republican doesn't need to pick one of the johns, john thune, john cornyn, john barrasso. i think there are going to be better options and senator tillis trying to get another blank check for a corrupt country. it's disappointing and a certain hubris to all of it. >> i remember the speaker, the hearings or the votes when kevin mccarthy was trying to be speaker and the anger and frustration that his colleagues showed toward matt gaetz -- >> didn't they get -- >> he rolled up on him like he was on the street. i've never seen anything like that on the floor of the house, and so it's clear that -- >> i don't think i've ever said let's stay in the house republican caucus vote. >> there clearly is no love lost with respect to the republican senators and members of the house for matt gaetz, no love lost, but to both points, donald trump has a fairly high threshold for pain

>> hey, emac, the senate and who will control it, republicans or democrats and mark wayne mullen with brewing up and brett tollman and his attorney talking about that and breaking it all down. >> jason which was and charlie hurt joining us and would you rather a or b not miss it? top of the hour. evan, my guy! you're helping them with savings, right? (♪) i wish i had someone like evan when i started. somebody just got their first debit card! ice cream on you? ooo, tacos! i got you. wait hold on, don't you owe me money? what?! your money is a part of your community, so your bank should be too. like, chase! confident. measured. ready. the markets, like life, will turn and challenge us. but when emotions run high, we stay grounded. with the hcm buyline, we work to empower investors, in navigating market volatility and complex conditions. we provide a diverse portfolio with proprietary mutual funds and etfs aimed at growth and preservation. so you can invest with confidence. visit howard c.m. funds dot com. it's our son, he is always up in our business. it's the verizon 5g home internet i

. >> we will ask you about trump's pick to lead the justice department and mark wayne mullen told cnn last year there is a reason nobody in the party defended him when he was accused of sleeping with an underage girl and let's listen to that. >> he was accused of sleeping with an under aged girl and there was a reason why nobody in the conference came to defend him. we had all seen the videos that he showed on the house floor of the girls he slept with and he would brag about how he would crush ed medicine and chase it with an energy drink so he could go all night. >> congressman, maybe you are in involved in any of these conversations and did you observe behavior where he showed his phone to other members of the house floor? >> look, i didn't deserve or observe that behavior but democrats and republblican shar opposing matt gaetz and couldn't be a more irresponsible pick for attorney general. somebody today was going to have a major ethics investigation released to the congress and public of all the things we believe he has done. the fact that he is now trying to avoid that investiga

. >> that was republican senator mark wayne mullen joining the calls for the house ethics committee toreport on its own investigation into donald trump picked to be the countries attorney general, matt gaetz. the ethics committee is now set to meet on wednesday to discuss the gaetz report, the former congressman was being investigated for allegations including sexual misconduct involving a 17-year-old girl, unless it drug use and accepting improper gifts. while many republican members of congress including the ranking member of the senate judiciary committee, have called for the report to be released, house speaker johnson despite his notorious, socially conservative views including pushing legislation to lock up abortion providers calling for sex to be criminalized in seeking to and common forms of birth control appear to draw the line at getting to the bottom of whether or not the potential attorney general of the united states sex trafficked a minor. johnson saying that he would quote, strongly request the committee not release the report. joining our conversation, capitol hill corr

. >> that was mark wayne mullen reacted to a bombshell new york times report that details a trail of payments from matt gaetz to various women. we will breakdown what the document reveals and while republicans on the house ethics committee blocked the release of their investigation into donald trump's nominee for attorney general. plus, the close ally trump just picked to be u.s. ambassador to n.a.t.o. whether or not he has any qualifications. and also ahead rand paul breaking which i'm saying the president-elect's plan to use the military to deport undocumented immigrants would be a huge mistake. huge mistak. >> good morning and welcome to way too early. thank you for starting your day with us. we have a lot to get to. we begin with matt gaetz meeting with the republicans on capitol hill. the former congressman was joined by j. d. vance yesterday. the two spent the day trying to convince lawmakers to confirm gaetz as attorney general. they met with several g.o.p. senators on the judiciary committee as well as john thune. it comes as gaetz is facing allegations of sexual misconduct a

. >> and here is what senator mark wayne mullen, of oklahoma, set on this subject. >> should the houselieve the senate should have access to that. should be released to the public or not, that is, i guess that will be a part of negotiations but that should definitely be a part of our decision-making. >> former congressman walsh, usurped in the chamber. it is a truism in washington that that ethics report is going to come out. >> it is going to come out. it will be out and by the way the speaker is not being accurate, this has been done before at least twice were former members the report came out after they were out of congress. the whole crux of this conversation, if i would've told you 20 years ago that an american president would be elected one day, he would lose an election, he would refuse to concede and then he would commit crimes trying to overthrow the election, you would not have believed me. i look at these next four years, we have to use our imagination this time and be ready for the absolute worst. >> that's what i have been saying, if i learned anything from the first trum

okay, mark wayne mullen, senator from oklahoma , has , i think i think shifted his position on matt gaetz. a year ago, i want you to listen to what he said about gaetz, and listen to what he says yesterday to jake tapper after the announcement of the nomination. here it is. >> we had all seen the videos he was showing on the house floor that all of us had walked away, of the girls he had slept with. he bragged about how he would crush ed medicine, and chase it with an energy drink so he could go all night. >> i completely trust president trump's decision-making on this one. at the same time, you've got to come to congress and sell himself. if he can't, we will go through the confirmation process. >> the ed medicine, just so everyone knows, he was talking about erectile dysfunction medicine that gaetz was bragging about on the house floor. how do you expand that transformation for mark mulder? >> anyone aligned with donald trump, it is the republican voters out there. a note of caution to any republican thinking about crossing him on some of these appointments. i would begin there. i don't

here's tammy duckworth and mark wayne mullen. >> he never commanded a company let alone a battalion.n a low level of the military, and this is a onization -- organization over $9 billion. he does not have the experience to run an organization of that size. just based on those requirements alone, he is unqualified for the position. >> he's a civilian, which is the only qualification that the defense secretary has to have. if you want to go more than that, he served honorably in the service for 20 years and is a decorated combat veteran. he retired as a major. he's had a successful career since then. he can articulate what needs to be done, and he knows the system. >> we've got several reporters and analysts in place. we begin with erin gilchrist joining us from west palm beach, florida. with the latest round of picks, is the cabinet ready for confirmation, has it been filled out? >> reporter: yeah, alex, that is effectively where we are. president-elect trump has named all 15 cabinet cretary positions. these are folks who would be in the presidential line of succession. he's named peo

. >> so that's senator mark wayne mullen of oklahoma today.e same senator who once said this about congressman gaetz. >> he was accused of sleeping with an underaged girl. there's a reason why no one in the conference came and defended him because we had all seen the videos he was showing on the house floor and all of us walked away of the girls he slept with and he told us hoe how he crushed e.d. medicine and with an energy drink so he could go all night. let's just show what he said now about gaetz. >> i completely trust president trump's decision making on this one, but at the same time he's got to come to congresscongress sell himself -- or to the senate and sell himself. there are questions out there and he has to answer those questions and hopefully he's able to answer the questions right. >> all right. >> now the president- elect's pick for attorney general, allegations are not investigations are not all moot all because republican senators will bend to the new president who after all helped him regain control of the chamber or the pres

stuart: republican senator mark wayne mullen just blocked the promotion of an army general.s the problem? ashley: good question. senator mullen has not responded to questions on why he's blocking the promotion but the republican from oklahoma blocking that of u.s. army lieutenant general christopher donahue and he commanded the military's 82'nd airborne division during the u.s. withdraw from afghanistan and very last american soldier to leave the country back in 2021. the pentagon said it's aware of hold on donahue has been nominated for a fourth star by president bide ton lead the u.s. army in europe and africa. president elect trump and his allies lambasting the u.s. military withdraw from afghanistan and vowed to go after those responsible for it. we should point out under senate rules it takes one lawmaker to hold up even if the other 99 moverring along quickly and we'll find more as it develops. stuart: a major ruling on tiktok as soon as next week. what's at stake? >> the whole app and whether or not byte dance, the parent company, will have to divest from tiktok by ea

. >> this seems to be the message received by some like senator mark wayne mullen, the guy who went on camera to say no one would defend gaetz against allegations he slept with a 17- year-old . >> will you vote for matt gaetz? >> there is no question we have our differences and they have been very public about it and i completely trust president trump's decision-making on this one, but at the same time he has to come to congress and sell himself. >> hearings i guess over this? again, we don't know what will happen. this seems like one of those moments where democratic input, push back, phone calls to lawmakers, senators particularly will have a vote on this, matter a lot. it is possible gaetz and get through but he is very unpopular. and i think it is fair to say when you talk about that mandate , the narrow national majority, 1 1/2 points that voted for donald trump, did not think they were putting matt gaetz at ag. but of democrats in the senate don't want to see him as the chief law enforcement officer of the united states, at the least they will need to pick a very public fight abo

at least five senate republicans, mitch mcconnell, lisa murkowski, mark wayne mullen of oklahoma, senator elect john curtis of utah were a no on gaetz and had communicated to other senators and those close to trump that they were not likely to be swayed. matt gaetz withdrawing his nomination and questions on what is next for the trump justice department is where we begin today with our friends, mike schmitt joins us, also criminal division deputy chief chrissy green, basal snipe, and host of the bulwark podcast, tim miller is here. i start with you because we were wrong. we said matt gaetz would be the attorney general. trump wants to see how low he can go. apparently the answer to how low he can go is whatever is above matt gaetz and i don't know, below pete hegseth. but it is interesting when you find out what a bridge too far for donald trump looks like. apparently it looks like matt gaetz. >> the gaetz eyebrows are maybe the lowmark for him. we were wrong about this but the wrongness was based on how the senators would act. matt gaetz did not force the five names but lisa murkowski wa

. >> and then here is what senator mark wayne mullen, republican of oklahoma, said to kristen welker on the subject. >> should the house ethics committee release that report, senator? >> absolutely. and i believe the senate should have access to that. now, should it be released to the public or not? i guess that will be part of the negotiations, but that should be definitely part of our decision-making. >> congressman walsh -- a former congressman wash, he served in that chamber. it is true in washington that that ethics report is going to come out. >> it is going to come out. it will be out. and by the way, the speaker is not being accurate, this has been done before, at least twice, for former members, the report came out after they were out of congress. jonathan, i want to scream because the whole crux of this conversation, if i had told you 20 years ago that an american president would be elected one day, he would lose an election, he would refuse to concede, then he would commit crimes trying to overthrow the election, you would not have believed me. i look at the next four year

senator mark wayne mullen of oklahoma said on "meet the press" that the senate should see the house ethicsn matt gaetz. >> should the house ethics committee release that report, senateer? >> absolutely, and i believe the senate should have access to that. now, should it be released to the public or not, that's -- i guess that will be part of the negotiations, but that should be part of our decision making. >> joining me now for the latest on how this is playing out in congress is nbc news correspondent julie circuit. busy weekend, considering not in session. the issues here -- this is a fast developing story. what are republicans going to do about the growing controversy around matt gaetz and other nominees? >> i have a feeling we'll be busy 24/7 for the next four years. it's interesting that senator mullen, a republican who used to be in the house until a few years ago, had that to say. i say that not because i question his position, he's had that position since wednesday, that he wants to see the report. he had some not nice things to say about matt gaetz, saying that he would likely vot

here is what hakeem jefferies, the top democrat in the house, and mark wayne mullen, a republican in senate, have to say about this. >> i believe the senate should have access to that. now, should it be released to the public or not? that's -- i guess that will be part of the negotiations. that should be part of our decision. >> of course it should be released, and that's not just democrats saying that. you have repeatedly seen senate republicans make clear who are on the senate judiciary committee or throughout that chamber, say that they want access to all available information so they can make a decision about whether the nominee for attorney general is qualified to serve in that office. >> reporter: now, the chair of the house ethics committee vowed to postpone that meeting that they were going to have on friday, when they were going to decide whether to release this report or not. gaetz had resigned from congress shortly after trump tapped him to lead this agency. but to the point jefferies was making there, senators are going to have to go on record, voting whether to confirm a

you have, for example, republican senator mark wayne mullen of oklahoma saying this, i raised my kidsed them to know the bible, but i want it to be taught by someone taught the bible themselves, too. i think it's a slippery slope when you put it in the hands of teachers that may not be believers. that's going to be teaching the word that can easily be taken out of context. so while there is this effort, there's also a genuine concern by some that this could be lead to bigger problems. >> so -- >> how do you assess that particular front line in your fight? >> so, you know, yesterday afternoon was the jewish shabbot. we had the conversation with four rabbis. they like senator mullens. they are actually very concerned about what it means to violate the separation of church and state. if you think about, and let me put my a.p. history teacher hat on. the first amendment, which elon musk really loves about speech has two other pieces in it. several other pieces in it, but two of them are that there is a prohibition, that there is a separation of church and state and the free exercise of re

you saw, even when mark wayne mullen who served in the senate and will be voting on this confirmation, when he was in the house, he served with him, he has been, set on this network i believe, he said things like matt gaetz would show his house colleagues video of him. >> i'm glad you bought that up because that stood out to me to. i want people to listen to what you are talking about, what senator mullins said there but also what he told jake tapper today about this. >> this is a guy who the media did not give the time of day two after he was accused of sleeping with an underage girl. there is a reason why no one in the conference came to defend him, because we had all seen the videos he was showing on the house lohr , that all of us had walked away of the girls he had slept with. he had bragged about how he would crush ed medicine and chase it with an energy drink so he could go all night. >> are you going to vote for matt gaetz? >> matt gaetz and i, there's no question we have had our differences, they have been very public about it. i completely trust president trump's decision on

. >> and again, you had mark wayne mullen last year that matt gaetz was showing videos where he was having sex with women and then bragging about the drugs that he would do to, as markwayne mullen said, last all night. pete hegseth is facing allegations regarding women. peter, what exactly is going on with him and his attorney saying? >> yeah. this came up after the president-elect made the nomination and caught his own transition team by surprise, but he was found to have paid money to a woman who accused him of sexual assault. he says it wasn't assault, it was consensual, but paid her anyway. that was part of in his interpretation, a form of blackmail. but once again, we're in a position where, you know, one of the people that the president of the united states has decided to put in charge of one of the most important departments in government has a cloud over him for the kind of behavior that would certainly get any member of the military court-martialed if they were able to prove it. that's a problem, obviously, in the senate as well. trump so far is sticking by hegseth. we'll see whet

. >> that's republican senator mark wayne mullen of oklahoma.here is texas republican senator john cornyn, who is a senior member of the senate judiciary committee, which will hold a confirmation hearing for matt yates if his nomination makes it that far in the process. >> effect of the matter is, whether we get the ethics report or not, the facts are going to come out, one way or the other, and i would think it would be in everybody's best interest, including the president, not to be surprised by some information that might come out during the confirmation hearing and the background check. so we're going to do our job and under the constitution, and the process, i believe provide the president some assurance that he knows exactly what the facts are about each of his nominees. >> and attorney for two young women who were witnessing the house ethics committee investigation of matt gaetz told nbc news's hallie jackson about their testimony. >> what did your client witness at the party? >> she was walking outside to the pool and she observed to her

. >> let's take a listen to senator mark wayne mullen who was defending gabbard. >> you have to keep in mind, tulsi gabbard is lieutenant colonel in the united states army. she commands a reserve upt here in oklahoma and missouri. it's the most dangerous thing she could say is united states lieutenant colonel is compromised and an asset of russia. >> here's the thing, does commanding an army reserve unit automatically prevent someone from being a russian asset? >> i mean, he does make a good point, that there are some certain security checks and concerns associated with that. i'm in the military reserve at a rank lower than hers. of course, for different positions they require different levels of clearance, right? so, certainly i can promise you, assure you that to be the director of national intelligence requires a much more comprehensive security clearance as well as a security background check that to be a lieutenant colonel in the military reserve. the point still stands on a lower level basis, which is why i'm trying to draw this point to a much larger level. yes, tulsi has made

we artie saw, you play the clip, of mark wayne mullen, who was harshly, harshly critical of matt gaetz. only a few months ago. and then today he was saying that you would back donald trump's choice. so if a few arms can be twisted, perhaps they can bend the senate to their will and get matt gaetz in there. >> but that's kind of the thing. how many summit -- senate republicans are willing to stand up to donald trump and how often? because matt gaetz is not the only questionable nomination. is it possible that donald trump is just nominating gaetz as a distraction to make it easier to get them to roll over on his other nominees? carlos, what do you think? >> stuff, there's plenty of evidence here backing the theory that this is a way to help gaetz exit the stage gracefully. we know that this investigation was going to be made public on friday. by leaving the congress it ends immediately. maybe something will leak but the committee is not supposed to do that so we will have to wait and see. i highly doubt, i'm not in the predictions business, but in this case i'm willing to bet a lot of m

you saw, even when mark wayne mullen, who now serves in the senate and will be voting on this confirmation, when he was in the house and served with him, he has been set on this network, i believe, it was manu who did an interview with him on the steps on the hill, that is matt gaetz showed his colleague's videos of him. >> i actually have that, because that stood out to me too. i want people to listen to what you are talking about, with senator mullins, but also what he told jake tapper today about this. >> this is a guy that didn't have-- that the media didn't give him the time of day after he was accused of sleeping with an underage girl. there is a reason why no one-- and the conference came to defend him, because we had all seen the videos he was showing of the house floor of the girls that he had slept with. he would brag about how he would crush ed medicine and chase it with an energy drink so he could go all night. >> are you going to vote for matt gaetz? >> there is no question that we have had our differences, we have been very public about it. i completely trust president trump

will, there were at least five no votes, susan collins, the new senator elects john curtis, mark wayne mullen that long rant about what he thought about matt gaetz, what a scumbag he was, my question to you is, where do you see this right now? for you, this is existential. this is a person who has no business having this job. he doesn't quite have the same reputation on capitol hill because matt gaetz is a singular entity. but where do you think this stance? >> let me say this, as the mom of two young girls ages six and 10, i don't think hegseth could pass a background check to be a babysitter, let alone the secretary of defense especially since he's admitted to paying off an accuser who accuses him of sexual assault. you want to put this man in charge of taking care of your kids, let alone, 3 million personnel in the department of defense, i think not. >> the other thing that i think is really troubling in his bio is the work he did on behalf of a pardon for a navy officer, who was convicted of war crimes, accused of war crimes, by members of his unit, who complained about what they saw from

mark wayne mullen who you talked about earlier, being the best example.aying that he deserves the opportunity to go through the confirmation process. even senator cramer has softened his tone. senator cramer will be with president trump today and get the full court press. it's one thing for the senate republicans to talk a big game behind closed doors, but when donald trump looks at them or talks to them on the phone, or has a meeting with them face-to-face and says, you need to vote for my guy, well, that's a much-different conversation. and that's why i still say that up until we see differently, every single one of these nominees has a path to confirmation. >> i think i would agree with that. ashley, what does donald trump get, exactly, out of forcing republicans to swallow matt gaetz? >> well, he gets another loyalty test. in certain ways, this seems counterintuitive, because he's making his own party take a potentially tough votes on gaetz, but it's like a schoolyard bully, seeing just how far they can push their victim or their target. you've done t

we are joined by oklahoma republican senator mark wayne mullen on this final day of the campaign. we have some suspicions about how oklahoma will vote. i don't think we are going out on too much of a limb. i did want to ask you about something that could impact election day for many in your state and that is the tornado threat that has closed schools . what are you prepared for and how might this impact voting? >> it won't impact voting at all. oklahoma is used to tornados unfortunately. it's like florida getting used to hurricanes. we had record number early voting especially in rural areas. there's only one place that is the county seat and there was lines way out the door. we did not have three-hour wait lines like some counties, but we are prepared. trump will win all 77 counties so it's not a big issue. i'm not trying to say this any type of way, but i will be surprised if kamala harris wins five precincts. we are trump country. we bleed trump. >> certainly which is what i meant about suspicions of how oklahoma will go. i do want to talk about some of what we've been seeing o

host: republican senator mark wayne mullen was on the -- meet the press over the weekend and says senatorshould have access to the report. [video clip] >> there's no question that matt gaetz and i have had our differences and that is no secret. moving forward, i do respect president trump's right to appoint these individuals, but under article two congress has to advise and consent and matt gaetz will go through the same scrutiny as every other individual and i will give him a fair shot like every individual. at the end of the day, the senate has to confirm him. i think it is a tough role. i have to set my personal opinion and personal situation to the side and look at the facts. if he is qualified, he is qualified. i did not even know he was an attorney until after he was appointed attorney general and i had to do my research on him. i know that is crazy because i served with him, but i never did the dig to find out his actual degree. >> the house ethics committee was about to release the findings of the investigation into allegations of misconduct by former congressman gates. he abruptly