Trump's DHS pick to replace Noem faces allegations of federal weapons crime

President Donald Trump's new choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), once employed a convicted felon at his personal business who committed a weapons felony on the premises, according to The Washington Post — and may have committed a federal crime himself in the process.

"The employee, Timothy L. Saylor, was previously convicted of felonies, barring him from owning firearms. He said Mullin knew his criminal history but nonetheless allowed him to store the weapons at Mullin Plumbing in Oklahoma," said the report. "'Markwayne knew I was a felon,' Saylor said in an interview with The Washington Post. 'Of course he knew. Because I told him.'"

This incident was known and heavily discussed when Mullin first ran for Congress in 2012, but at the time he claimed to have no knowledge of Saylor's criminal past, and that he hadn't run a background check because Saylor had been an existing employee at a business his company had purchased. Saylor's claims to The Post cast doubt over this.

"Federal law makes it a crime to knowingly provide a weapon to a felon," noted the report. "Mullin told authorities at the time that he gave Saylor guns 'to clean.' Mullin was never charged, according to court records."

Mullin is stepping in to replace former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who was unceremoniously fired amid a mountain of scandal after testifying in Congress that Trump authorized her to contract a $200 million ad buy of herself with government money.

A report this week indicates a potential deeper web of self-dealing, as a former DHS official was involved in steering the bidding process to a firm that subcontracted with another company owned by a man she later married.