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tongues → sign → Hill
He commands a federal department of 260,000 employees and a multi-billion-dollar security apparatus, but Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin still prefers a shared living arrangement akin to a 'college dorm,' according to insiders.
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Mullin → command → insiders
Sources close to Mullin say the married 49-year-old former Oklahoma senator and MMA fighter lives with Republican Congressman Jason Smith, 46, who is unmarried.
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who → say → Smith
The two close friends served together in Congress before Mullin became Secretary of Homeland Security and have roomed together for three years, holding down a shared house on Capitol Hill that Mullin owns.
Smith confirmed his living arrangement to the Daily Mail during an interview in late July.
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Smith → serve → July
A representative for Mullin claims that the secretary is Smith's 'landlord,' having bought the house in 2023, but they would not respond when pressed over the amount the congressman allegedly pays per month.
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congressman → claim → month
Smith's office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
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office → respond → comment
The arrangement raises an ethics question.
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arrangement → raise → question
Under a House rule, a member may not accept a gift worth more than $100 from a single source in a year.
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member → accept → year
Rent charged below market would likely qualify as a gift.
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Rent → charge → gift
Environmental Protection Administrator Scott Pruitt got into hot water during Trump's first term when it was revealed he paid just $50 a night for a Capitol Hill condo owned by the wife of an energy lobbyist.
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he → get → lobbyist
Pruitt resigned from his position months later.
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Pruitt → resign → position
Sources say Mullin's wife Christie (above) spends most of her time back home in Oklahoma, but will stay with her husband occasionally when she is in Washington
Zillow photo of Mullin and Smiths shared living room in Capitol Hill row home
Mullin and Gabbard, the Hawaii Democrat turned Republican who became Trump's director of national intelligence, have been friends for years
Zillow image taken of one of the bedrooms inside Mullin's capitol hill
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who → say → hill
It's strange that a cabinet secretary still has a roommate.
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secretary → have → roommate
Maybe it's because he is so rarely in DC since he flies home so often.
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he → fly → DC
He literally uses it as a crash pad,' one source familiar with their living situation revealed.
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source → use → situation
'People pass in and out.'
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People → pass → ?
The Daily Mail spotted Mullin's security detail at their shared home and four unidentified individuals in suits leaving the house on Wednesday afternoon.
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individuals → spot → afternoon
'People are all always going in and out of that place, for work, for fun, it's like a college dorm,' a source close to Mullin explained.
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source → go → Mullin
The duo's shared residence is a classic brick row house situated a short walk from the Capitol priced at $1.8 million.
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residence → share → million
The 1890s brick townhouse listed on Zillow has four bedrooms, three and a half baths, original oak floors, twin fireplaces and a private rear courtyard.
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townhouse → list → bedrooms
The property also features a fully finished one-bedroom English basement unit on its lower level that can operate as an income-producing rental, according to the real-estate listing.
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that → feature → listing
Financial disclosures potentially add another intriguing layer to the living setup.
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disclosures → add → setup
Inside Mullin's financial reports under Mullin Realty LLC, his residential real estate is valued between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000, which generates $50,000 to $100,000 in rental income.
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which → value → income
Sources close to Mullin say the 49-year-old former Oklahoma senator and MMA fighter lives with none other than single Republican Congressman Jason Smith, 46 (above), in DC
Zillow image:
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senator → say → Smith
The duo's shared residence is a classic brick row house situated a short walk from the Capitol priced at $1.8 million
A US Government agent pictured outside the new home of Markwayne Mullin on Capitol Hill
The 1890s brick townhouse has four bedrooms, three and a half baths, original oak floors, twin fireplaces and a private rear courtyard, according to the Zillow listing
Mullin Realty LLC owns over 40 properties across Washington, DC, Oklahoma and Missouri.
Specific rental funds are not listed on Smith's expense statements on public house disclosure reports.
The political roommate pairing is unique as the House Ways and Means Committee, which Smith chairs, oversees portions of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which Mullin leads.
While cabinet secretaries usually opt for solitude, Mullin's decision to stay with Smith also highlights their close personal friendship.
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decision → share → friendship
'I think he is the only cabinet-level member with this kind of setup,' another source close to the pair remarked.
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source → think → pair
Friends and colleagues describe the duo as virtually inseparable in DC.
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Friends → describe → DC
In an essay published on his congressional site, Smith has openly hailed Mullin as a 'man of God, a husband, and a father' whose friendship was forged far away from Capitol Hill, noting that their bond did not start in Washington or rely on politics, but grew from both having roots in the Ozarks where people 'shoot you straight.'
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people → publish → you
Insiders say the roommate dynamic is just one piece of a larger tight-knit MAGA-aligned crew – including a rotating door of DHS staff and even cabinet members.
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dynamic → say → staff
Former Congressman Markwayne Mullin and former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard pictured at the Capitol in 2013
Zillow image: The secretary owns over 40 properties across Washington, DC, and Missouri
The circle formed in the House, and most of its members have long since left it.
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most → picture → it
Alongside Mullin and Smith, insiders name former Speaker Kevin McCarthy; Tulsi Gabbard, the Hawaii Democrat turned Republican who became Trump's director of national intelligence; and former Illinois congressman Aaron Schock, who resigned in 2015 amid scrutiny of his office spending.
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who → name → spending
Schock was later indicted, but the charges were dropped in 2019 under a deal with prosecutors.
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charges → indict → prosecutors
He pleaded not guilty but he repaid funds under an agreement with prosecutors.
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he → plead → prosecutors
Mullin and Smith first met and bonded with each other at the gym, where the DHS chief would run intense workouts at 6.00am.
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chief → meet → 6.00am
Their friendship formed as young lawmakers in the House of Representatives in 2014, along with Schock and Gabbard.
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friendship → form → Schock
Insiders say Mullin and Gabbard's relationship became so close that he had even lobbied for Gabbard, a former Democrat turned Republican, to become Trump's vice presidential running mate.
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Gabbard → say → ?
'He said, listen, I think that Tulsi would be excellent on the ticket.
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Tulsi → say → ticket
But that was shot down.
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that → shoot → ?
Trump agreed she would be good for a role, just not that one,' one source familiar with the conversation at DHS said.
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source → agree → DHS
They have each other's backs.'
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They → have → backs
…and 8 more, not listed.
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