Citizen legislators are vitally important and bring an important perspective to Capitol Hill, Sen.-elect Markwayne Mullin told Newsmax on Tuesday before the new Congress was sworn in.
The Oklahoma Republican, who's leaving the House to serve in the Senate, is one of the few business owners in the upper chamber, which he told "Wake Up America" brings "a different approach to the way you look at things."
Mullin stressed that "when you are a career politician you are always going to make political decisions, what's best for me."
But he explained that when you "come from a different background, you have a different outlook, a multiyear plan, a business approach — and if we take a business approach to this country, we will be better off."
However, Mullin said that, regrettably, "we have too many career politicians that work up there" on Capitol Hill and the system favors seniority, not necessarily who is the better congressman.
For example, he said that heads of committees go to the longest serving congressman, no matter what their qualifications.
Mullin said that he and his family will skip the official swearing-in photo and group photo for senators with Vice President Kamala Harris, because there is a requirement for a COVID-19 test in order to participate.
The senator-elect said that "COVID just exists for those who are in the bubble" and that his family, including his six children, need to fly back after the ceremony to go to school and a wrestling tournament. He said they don't want to take a chance of somebody getting a false positive, which he said only causes unnecessary complications.
In any case, Mullin said, "I don't really care about a picture with Kamala Harris."
Mullin, who is of Cherokee heritage, was asked if he has had any contact with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Democrat from Massachusetts who controversially said years ago that she was of Native-American heritage.
Mullin replied that he had no contact with her and that back in Oklahoma "they think very disgracefully about Elizabeth Warren for claiming something that she is not."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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