McConnell says behavior of lawmakers not his responsibility after senator, union boss nearly come to blows

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday the behavior of lawmakers in the upper chamber is not his responsibility after he was questioned about his role in lowering the temperature of his party.

"Very difficult to control the behavior of everybody who's in the building," McConnell told reporters after the GOP conference's weekly luncheon. "I don't view that as my responsibility." 

He added, "That's something that the Capitol Police have to deal with."

Fox News Digital has reached out to Capitol Hill Police for comment. 

The senator's comments come after Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., stood up and threatened to fight a labor leader during a Senate Health Committee hearing on Tuesday.

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"Sir, this is a time, this is a place, you want to run your mouth we can be two consenting adults and we can finish it here," Mullin told Teamster President Sean O'Brien during a Senate Health Committee hearing on Tuesday after reading a tweet where O'Brien said he could take the senator "any time" or "any place."

"OK, that's fine, perfect," O'Brien responded.

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"You want to do it now?" Mullin asked.

"I would love to do it right now," O'Brien said, prompting Mullin to say, "Well, stand your butt up then."

"You stand your butt up, big guy," O'Brien said, at which point Mullin, a former MMA fighter, stood up in his chair and seemed to be trying to make his way over to the union president.

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"Stop it, hold it, no, no, sit down," Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the chairman of the committee, said in an attempt to calm the pair down. "You're a United States senator. Sit down."

Both Mullin and O'Brien asked permission from Sanders to respond to each other after Mullin sat down, but Sanders denied the request. 

Mullin and O'Brien have previously gone head-to-head, throwing jabs at each other through social media during the summer. 

"Greedy CEO who pretends like he’s self made. In reality, just a clown [and] fraud," O’Brien wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on June 26. "Quit the tough guy act in these senate (sic) hearings."

"You know where to find me," he continued. "Anyplace, Anytime cowboy."

Fox News' Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.