The Underreported Wealth of Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin
Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma has been outspoken about his personal finances, claiming at a hearing on Wednesday that he only paid himself a salary of $50,000 when he ran a plumbing business. However, financial disclosures from 2012, the year he was first elected to Congress, show that his salary was nearly $92,000, with another $200,000 in income. His total income in 2011 was even greater.
Mullin’s wealth has been vastly underreported, with reports of his fortune ballooning to at least $31 million after the apparent sale of his plumbing business to HomeTown Services. This wealth was not mentioned during Wednesday’s hearing, which focused on “Defending the Right of Workers to Organize.” Mullin was lambasting Teamsters president Sean O’Brien for his nearly $200,000 salary while claiming he paid himself only $50,000.
Mullin has served on Capitol Hill since 2012 and was elected to the Senate in a special election last year. He is a member of the Cherokee nation and the only Native American member of the Senate. He is known for having clashed with State Department officials in 2021 as he sought to get into Afghanistan on a self-appointed rescue mission.
Mullin’s position in the Senate and his personal wealth has been shrouded in controversy, raising questions about his integrity and his ability to represent the people of Oklahoma. It is unclear whether Mullin has used his wealth to influence his political decisions, but it is clear that his finances are far more complex than he has let on.
It is important that Senators like Mullin are transparent about their finances and that their personal wealth is accurately reported. Mullin’s story serves as an important reminder that it is the duty of elected officials to be honest and open about their financial backgrounds and to be accountable to the people they represent.
