Randy Krehbiel
Tulsa World Staff Writer
CHANDLER — Americans should not be worried about illegal voting in this year’s elections, U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin told a group here Thursday morning.
“If we win, the Democrats are going to claim foul. If they win, we’re going to claim foul,” he said, responding to an audience member’s question. “But I can tell you that I feel very, very, very confident that we’re going to have a fair and legal election.
“Will there be some irregularities? There is in every election. Will it be outside the norm? I don’t think so,” he said.
Mullin’s remarks were of particular interest because he is a close ally of former President Donald Trump, who continues to make unproven and largely discredited claims about the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
Then a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mullin was among the Republicans who tried to block certification of the 2020 presidential election results — and who faced the wrath of pro-Trump rioters who barged their way into the U.S. Capitol.
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On Thursday, Mullin did not address Trump’s claims about 2020 but said “a lot of changes” have been made since then.
“There’s going to be those groups on both sides that are going to accuse (the other) side of foul play if they don’t get their way,” Mullin said, referring to the upcoming election.
When his questioner remained skeptical, Mullin pointed out that voting illegally is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $500,000 fine.
Long-standing legal precedent holds that only U.S. citizens may vote in state and federal elections. Applicants must sign an affidavit swearing they are citizens but cannot be required to provide documentation.
States do take measures to verify citizenship, however. In Oklahoma, these include cross-referencing driver’s license and Social Security number digits.
An area of more concern to Mullin of late is the Middle East, where growing tension between Israel and Iran, via Iran’s proxies, threatens a broader conflict.
Mullin is a full-throated supporter of Israel and a critic of the Biden administration for questioning the latter’s treatment of Palestinians, especially in Gaza.
Some 40,000 Palestinians are believed to have been killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza in retaliation for the Oct. 7 raid by Gaza-based Hamas fighters on southern Israel.
Hamas and Hezbollah, which is firing into northern Israel from Lebanon, are backed by Iran.
“The only (thing) keeping Iran from ruling the Middle East, which means they would control the biggest supply of crude oil, is Israel,” Mullin said. “Saudi Arabia doesn’t have an army to stand up against (Iran). UAE (United Arab Emirates) doesn’t have an army to stand up against them. Jordan has an army, … but if we don’t stand behind Israel, Jordan probably won’t, either.”
In the view of Mullin and others, Iran’s leadership is looking for an opening to extend its influence and control throughout the region, possibly with the assistance of Turkey.
“There is the axis … with Russia, Iran and China, with the last piece China moving into Taiwan,” Mullin said.
Lack of a strong U.S. and allied response to Russia in Ukraine and Iran in the Middle East, he said, is a green light for China to invade Taiwan.
While the Middle East struggles tend to be viewed in religious and ethnic terms, Mullin told the group Thursday that the religious side masks a war of greed.
“Iran doesn’t want to just wipe Israel off the face of the earth,” he said. “It’s also the wealth that comes with it.”
Asked later about the fate of the essentially stateless Palestinians who are caught in the war between Israel and Hamas, Mullin said those living in Hamas-controlled Gaza essentially picked their side by not settling in the West Bank, roughly 60 miles away, or in Jordan, where about 3 million Palestinians live.
“If they wanted to live in the West Bank, which is run by the Palestinian Authority, they could have left,” he said. “The individuals who live in Gaza chose Hamas. Unfortunately, innocent people are killed in every war.”
According to news reports, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly raided the West Bank in recent months and forced more than 3,000 Palestinians from their homes to make way for Israeli settlements.
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