Sen. Markwayne Mullin defends net worth by attacking Matt Gaetz over ‘daddy’s money’

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) picked another fight over an online post, this time against Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).

Gaetz came after Mullin when he reshared a graphic depicting the senator’s recent net worth on X, formerly known as Twitter. According to the graphic, in 2018, Mullin had a net worth of roughly $12 million. Then, in 2022, just as he was leaving the House and running his winning campaign for the Senate, his net worth was $63 million.

FOOD STAMPS: DIRECT PAYMENTS WORTH UP TO $1,751 FOR DECEMBER END IN DELAWARE IN 9 DAYS

“We should pass a ban on trading stocks!” Gaetz said in response to the graphic on Wednesday.

“I hear Rep. Matt Gaetz has criticism of hard-earned success — he should try building a business that gains value, it’s more gratifying than living off your daddy’s money,” Mullin wrote in response on Thursday.

“The only thing I criticized were your stock trades while a member of congress,” Gaetz wrote to Mullin. “I want to ban those trades. You cashed in and made millions.”

According to Capitol Trades, Mullin purchased between $15,000 and $50,000 in Raytheon Technologies stock on Sept. 13. Raytheon would see its stocks rise by 6% following the Hamas attack against Israel on Oct. 7.

Meanwhile, Gaetz and his parents have an estimated net worth of almost $30 million, according to Forbes. Gaetz’s own father, Don Gaetz, was the president of the Florida Senate from 2012 to 2014, where he has served since 2009. Currently, the senior Gaetz is the only Republican candidate in the primary for his state Senate seat.

Mullin picked a similar fight with Teamsters President Sean O’Brien last week over O’Brien’s posts on X. The senator read the posts aloud during a Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing and challenged O’Brien to a fight there in the Capitol.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

During his childhood, Mullin grew up with a speech impediment and leg braces, which made him the target of bullying in his early years. Mullin would go on to compete professionally as a mixed martial arts fighter.

In 2012, Mullin won his first election to represent Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District, where he served until he won the state’s Senate seat. Before that, he was the CEO of his own plumbing company.