Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin repeatedly refused Tuesday to commit to following court orders from judges who rule that the Department of Homeland Security is acting illegally.
In his first appearance on Capitol Hill since confirmation as secretary two months ago, the former Oklahoma Republican senator told lawmakers that DHS “will never break the Constitution, and we’re not going to break the law.” But Mullin also would not vow to abide by rulings from judges.
“If we didn’t think courts were politicized, then I would probably be able to answer that,” Mullin said. “But we see courts over and over again that use their bench for their political opinion, not just the rule of law.”
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, the top Democrat on the panel that funds DHS, noted that even Republican-appointed judges have said the department has violated almost 100 court orders this year. The senator cited that noncompliance as the main factor fueling the ongoing partisan feud over DHS funding that led to the longest funding lapse in U.S. history this year.
“This is a really important discussion for us to have, because this is — whether you want to believe it or not — at the root of our disagreement,” Murphy said, adding, “it is very hard for us to figure out how to fund an agency that is violating the law.”
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