Sen. Mullin suggests 'fake news' would decline if violence could 'still' settle disputes

Journalists would write fewer “fake news” stories if disputes over coverage could be handled through violence, U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin suggested on social media.

In a video posted over the weekend to his official X account, the Oklahoma Republican describes the 1890 killing of a former congressman, who was shot by a reporter in the U.S. Capitol. Mullin briefly pauses after finishing the story, then begins talking about journalists today.

“Now, there’s a lot we could say about reporters and the stories they write, but I bet they would write a lot less false stories — as President Trump says, ‘fake news’ — if we could still handle our differences that way,” Mullin says.

The 1:53 video was one of several Mullin posted late Friday and early Saturday as the Senate mulled the GOP budget plan, which ultimately passed.

Mullin recorded the video from the flight of stairs where he says the shooting occurred. He says stains from the former lawmaker’s blood can still be seen on the stone steps.

After Mullin makes his statement about reporters, the person recording him zooms in to show the blood-stained stairs, and then the video ends. By noon Sunday, the video had been viewed more than 26,000 times, attracting more than 2,100 “likes.”

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