Wild clash erupts between ousted Congressman Al Green and Homeland Security chief over 'racist' claim

By STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 00:33, 4 June 2026 | Updated: 00:41, 4 June 2026 Congressman Al Green got into a wild spat with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin over questions of whether the secretary was called 'racist.' Green, 78, became infamous for waving his cane at Donald Trump and filing for his impeachment six times. He will be leaving Congress at the end of the year after losing his primary. The lame duck Texan told Mullin to 'shut up' during the tense exchange at a House hearing on Wednesday. Prior to the spat, Green had been holding a series of large pictures and describing people as 'racist' for reacting violently to peaceful protests.  'Racists take offense at peaceful protests. A racist, Mr. Secretary, would do what happened to Ruby,' Green said, before he was interrupted. Mullin wanted to know if the Congressman was referring to him. 'Are you calling me a racist? I'm asking a question,' Mullin said.  Green attempted to ignore Mullin and could not hide his pure disdain for the secretary, shouting, 'Reclaiming my time. Ask him to shut up.' Lame duck Congressman Al Green got into a verbal tussle with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin over claims the former Oklahoma senator is 'racist' The Texan appears to be going down swinging, however, when he told Mullin to 'shut up' during a House hearing Wednesday Mullin tried to interject with regard to the accusation of racism but Green refused to hear it. 'Shut up, up, up, up. Shut up! It's my time,' Green exclaimed.  The secretary then addressed House Committee on Homeland Security Chair Andrew Garbarino. 'I'm not gonna let anybody call me a racist, chairman,' Mullin said.  Green continued: 'I never called him a racist. This is my time.' 'No one will call me a racist,' Mullin replied. Mullin himself is a member of the Cherokee Nation.  Green asked to have his time returned to him, with Garbarino having stopped the clock for speaking.   Green had been holding a series of large pictures and describing people as 'racist' for reacting violently to peaceful protests  House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino speaks to the committee during the testimony of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin 'I will continue to interrupt as long as someone's calling me a racist,' Mullin said. Before Green moved on, Mullin took a shot at Green for losing his primary.   'Evidently, his constituents heard enough of him because they voted him out of office,' Mullin said. 'Mr. Secretary, please,' Garbarino said in response. Green fell in his member-on-member primary runoff to Congressman Christian Menefee a week ago.  The 38-year-old Menefee was projected to beat Green, 78, in the Houston-based district, according to the Associated Press. Menefee and Green went to a runoff after neither candidate secured a majority in the March 3 primary election.  During that contest, Menefee took 46 percent of the vote compared to Green's 44 percent.   After Republicans in Texas redrew the state's congressional maps, Democrats are expected to lose between two and five seats in the midterms because of the redraw. That forced Democratic incumbents into uncomfortable races against each other.  Menefee's clear victory is another sign that patches of Democratic voters are looking for a new younger generation of representation.  The 11-term Green has long tormented Trump; he filed articles of impeachment against the President at least six times.  Green made waves by bringing a sign that read 'Black people aren't apes,' to Trump's State of the Union address earlier this year, referring to an unfortunate video post from the President that the White House blamed on a 'boomer' editor. That stunt got him tossed from the SOTU speech from the Sergeant at Arms. A year before, Green was expelled for heckling from the House chamber during Trump's joint address before Congress, the stand-in for the State of the Union when a President's newly sworn-in. During that address, Green stood up, pointed his cane at the dais and shouted, 'You have no mandate to cut Medicaid.' The congressman was censured for his outbursts. Green's impeachment effort against Trump started back in 2017 and he most recently tried again in December, pointing to how the President said on Truth Social that some Democratic lawmakers should be executed for pushing troops to not follow illegal orders. It's a shocking result for Green, who generally performed well in his Houston-area district. But there were new adversaries out to get him. A cryptocurrency super PAC named Fairshake spent $6.5 million against him or for Menefee during the two rounds of voting, according to the New York Times.  In 2024, Green ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.  He first won election to the House in 2004. Menefee previously served as county attorney for Harris County, Texas. He was sworn-in on February 2. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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