Mullin Applauds New Senate Leadership, Dismisses Possibility Of Cabinet Selection

While President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump met at the White House Wednesday, Republican lawmakers were on Capitol Hill selecting the leaders who will be working to push Trump’s agenda through Congress. The election of new GOP leadership in the Senate was of particular interest, especially for Oklahoma’s two Senators.

With their conference poised to reclaim the majority in January, Senate Republicans selected South Dakota Senator John Thune to take the reins from outgoing and longtime conference leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

It's a choice Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin agrees with.

"A lot of people had falsely accused him of being Mitch McConnell 2.0, which isn't accurate," Mullin stated.

Senator Mullin, from the start of his candidacy, openly supported Thune in what became a three-way race with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and Senator Rick Scott (R-FL). The stakes became even greater once it became clear last week that Republicans had won control of the Senate.

"It's a new day in the United States Senate and it's a new day in America," Sen. Thune said to open his first media availability since being elected.

Mullin says, unlike McConnell, Thune will be a leader who takes input from the rank and file, and perhaps more importantly, from President Trump.

"There were some barriers that was going to keep President Trump and Mitch McConnell from being able to work together," Mullin explained, "there was no question about it. Those barriers don't exist with John Thune and President Trump."

As Trump moves quickly to name his picks for top administration positions, it's been reported that Senator Mullin is under consideration for a cabinet position, possibly Secretary of the Interior.

In an interview in his office Wednesday, Mullin was asked directly if he has spoken with President-elect Trump about potentially being in his cabinet and taking some other high-ranking position within the administration.

"No, I haven't. Trump and I have not discussed it at all," Mullin stated unequivocally.

Senator Mullin acknowledges it's possible someone on the transition team--he doesn't know who--may have mentioned his name, but he insists they haven't talked with him, and he doesn't play 'what if.'

"I'm dealing with what I'm dealing with," Mullin said, "and right now, our focus is to push the president's agenda forward, and that's it."

Oklahoma’s other U.S. Senator, James Lankford, also has some involvement in Senate leadership -- he gave the nominating speech for Senator Cornyn, who came in second in the conference leader election, and, running unopposed, was himself elected to the number five leadership spot, conference vice chairman.