Before your next Secretary of Homeland Security was a full-blown member of a presidential cabinet, Markwayne Mullin was a Senator. And before that, a member of the House representing Oklahoma while owning a plumbing/HVAC business.

I first paid attention to him because it was my job, when he was a Congressman and I was working for an HVAC trade publication. In one instance, I tuned into a video event where he passed along flat-out untrue talking points to his constituents.

Elsewhere, he questioned industry leaders and used aw-shucks rhetorical fallacies designed to appeal to the half-informed at the expense of reality and expertise. His comments included, “Democrats are wanting to regulate the industry into clean energy. We don’t think there’s a place for that in infrastructure.”

Which is pretty ironic, given that his new boss is fine to pay $1 billion to firms to not do the clean energy work they were supposed to do. For folks who like talking about “letting the free market sort it out,” that’s a funny definition of both free markets and tax dollar stewardship. Government “putting a finger on the scales” is OK after all if you do it for the right lobby.

Not that Mullin is always wrong (or at least completely wrong). When Trump regained office, Mullin was asked about potential January 6 pardons and said, “Those individuals that attacked police officers, that physically attacked police officers, you know, they committed a crime, and they need to pay for that.”

That opinion was refreshingly accurate, and that opinion got crapped on. But don’t worry, Mr. Secretary-in-waiting, many people have managed to discard much more substantial reality-based comment at odds with the veil of Trump omniscience and gone on to join his staff. You’re not the first or the worst. But you’ll also never get the stain out.

Now, of course, Mullin is no longer a citizen “outsider” who ran for the House because he was a businessman all mad about regulations. He’s risen to a cabinet post with no firm training or background for his position other than he likes to fight. Heck, if Hegseth had died from tattoo-related sepsis, Mullin could be leading the DoD right now.

But instead, he’ll lead border and immigration-related efforts. Not because he has any particular training, and not because Secretary Noem oversaw a moral trainwreck of an operation in Minnesota and elsewhere, but because Noem went on TV and embarrassed DJT. Talk about your taboos.

The Peter Principle suggests people often rise to the level of their incompetence. And in the conventional sense, Mullin was a perfect fit as gubmint-bad! loyalist in the House GOP caucus. For what Trump wants from this position, though — the ability to lie with conviction and/or not know any better, and a penchant for intimidation and violence even while on the job — who can argue with the pick?

Let’s wrap up with something for those who’ve had a hard life and a long trip, only to get worse than they deserved.

When you reach the broken promised land
And every dream slips through your hands
Then you’ll know that it’s too late to change your mind
‘Cause you’ve paid the price to come so far
Just to wind up where you are
And you’re still just across the borderline …