Markwayne Mullin Reportedly Fingered Nostrils of Colleagues and Their Spouses During Visit to Israel

A former House Republican and his wife claimed that in 2015, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) – then a congressman – took photos of himself putting his finger up the noses of sleeping lawmakers and their spouses during a visit to Israel.

Mullin made waves this week when he tried to pick a nose physical fight with Teamsters President Sean O’Brien during a Senate hearing.

The source of the story is former Rep. David Trott (R-MI), whose account was relayed in Friday’s edition of Politico’s Playbook:

Wednesday night, after a full day of coverage of Sen. MARKWAYNE MULLIN’s (R-Okla.) near-fisticuffs with a Teamsters leader — and his subsequent unapologetic victory lap of media appearances — we got an email from former Rep. DAVID TROTT (R-Mich.), who served with Mullin in the House: “My wife and I have a story about Senator Mullin if you’re interested.”

Consider our interest piqued.

We called up the former congressman, who told us about an AIPAC-sponsored trip to Israel in August 2015 that he remembered about 40 members attending, plus many spouses. Among those spouses was his wife, KATHLEEN “KAPPY” TROTT.

At this point, he handed the phone over to Kappy. She told us about the flight to Israel, which was hampered by layovers and delays. Though they were promised a quick shower in the hotel upon arriving, that schedule was revised on the fly: Instead, they’d immediately board buses to see an Iron Dome installation and a kibbutz.

“We were in the clothes we’d been wearing for like 24 hours,” Kappy says. “We get on this bus, and it’s a couple-hour bus ride and people were kind of leaning on their spouse’s shoulder and falling asleep. And this idiot starts walking up and down the bus with his camera and anyone who fell asleep, he would put his finger in their nose and take a picture.”

“I said [to myself, ‘If] that idiot comes near me when I fall asleep, I’m going to punch him,’” Kappy told us. “And I said to Dave: ‘This is a U.S. congressman?’”

That congressman? Markwayne Mullin.

“Some people were mad, and some people were laughing. There were a couple of women who were mad,” Kappy said. “You’re trying to fall asleep, somebody you don’t know has his finger … It was just middle school. And we were in Israel, and we’re going to go see the Iron Dome and go to a kibbutz. Just didn’t seem appropriate.”

They said that Mullin’s recent round of publicity jostled their memory. Contemporary press reports verify that Mullin was, in fact, on this 2015 trip to Israel.

Politico stated it reached out to Mullin’s staff multiple times, but did not receive a response.

On Tuesday, Mullin traded barbs with the Teamsters president in schoolyard fashion:

MULLIN: Sir, this is a time, this is a place You want to run your mouth. We can be two consenting adults. We can finish it here.”

O’BRIEN: Ok, that’s fine. Perfect

MULLIN: You want to do it now?

O’BRIEN: I’d love to do it right now

MULLIN: Well, stand your butt up, then

O’BRIEN: You stand your butt up.

With that, Mullin stood up, prompting Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to intervene.

“Sit down!” he exclaimed. “You’re a United States senator!”