When the Senate was still considering Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to head the Department of Homeland Security, there were plenty of reasons to pause before confirming the Oklahoma Republican. He was, after all, perhaps best known for threatening to get into a fistfight with the head of a labor union during a Capitol Hill hearing in late 2023. He also suggested that journalists would write fewer “false stories” if violence were used to handle disputes.
Nevertheless, Mullin was confirmed with relative ease in March — and he’s now facing a new controversy that has nothing to do with his temperament, and everything to do with ethics. The New York Times reported:
For years, federal health officials have warned about the risks associated with a supplement derived from the leaves of kratom trees that adherents say can kill pain or boost energy. Sold in gas stations across America, kratom has been linked to liver toxicity, seizures and thousands of deaths.
Powerful figures close to President Trump, including Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, pushed to downplay those concerns.
The Times’ investigation, the details of which have not been independently verified by MS NOW, highlighted the kratom industry’s “sprawling influence campaign,” which has courted a variety of officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Vice President JD Vance.
But it’s Mullin who stands out for a specific reason. During his tenure as a U.S. senator, he attended a Food and Drug Administration press conference and endorsed new federal restrictions on supplements that compete with kratom for shelf space. “In explaining his position,” the Times noted, “Mr. Mullin pointed to a history of addiction in his family, though health experts say kratom products have also been shown to be addictive.”
What Mullin did not mention was his financial investment in a kratom company, Botanic Tonics, that stood to benefit from the changes he recommended.
What’s more, the disclosure of the financial connection didn’t happen until it was included in financial records that emerged after his Cabinet nomination.
The Department of Homeland Security didn’t answer the Times’ questions about the investment, though it said Mullin “follows all ethics and conflict of interest standards and has not lobbied for any individual or company.”
Except that’s a rather narrow and carefully worded denial.