Hour 2 - KY Sen. Rand Paul

Hour 2 of The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show delivers a fast‑moving mix of national security analysis, Capitol Hill drama, and live listener engagement, all centered around the intensifying Iran conflict, stunning new intelligence developments, and the explosive feud between Senator Rand Paul and Senator Markwayne Mullin. Clay opens the hour by detailing breaking reports that Israel’s Mossad has deeply infiltrated Iran’s leadership ranks, eliminating high‑level officials and even calling Iranian commanders directly to warn them they will be killed if they continue supporting the regime. The hosts analyze how Israel is now targeting Iranian leaders who are hiding in safe houses, remote rural areas, and even parks—striking individuals who believed they were undiscoverable. They discuss the growing wave of ordinary Iranians reportedly tipping off Mossad about regime locations, the broader collapse of Iran’s command structure, and how oil prices are being weaponized as Iran’s last lever against U.S. and Israeli pressure.

From there, Hour 2 transitions into the escalating GOP civil war playing out during the DHS secretary confirmation hearings. Clay and Buck revisit archived audio from November 2025 showing Markwayne Mullin mocking Rand Paul and attacking him as “not a real Republican.” This sets the stage for their commentary on the explosive confrontation earlier in the day, where Rand Paul accused Mullin of glorifying the violent assault that nearly killed him. Listeners call in demanding to know why Paul “went soft” after the attack, leading the hosts to clarify that Paul’s attacker was in fact charged with a felony, sentenced, and forced to pay over half a million dollars in damages. Clay and Buck use this exchange to discuss the broader issue of political violence, personal grudges, and the rising tensions inside the Republican Party as the Senate weighs one of the most important national security appointments of the Trump administration.

Midway through the hour, Senator Rand Paul joins the show live, offering a fiery, unfiltered explanation of why he will vote against Mullin’s nomination to lead DHS. Paul argues that Mullin’s past comments praising violence, his history of physical confrontations, and his refusal to apologize for celebrating Paul’s assault make him unfit to oversee ICE and Border Patrol. Paul also criticizes Mullin’s “macho” persona and says DHS needs steady, lawful leadership—not someone who cites dueling and caning as historical justifications for political conflict. He further warns that the Iran War is a “war of choice,” predicts it will severely damage Republicans politically due to rising oil prices, and stresses that Congress—not the White House—must maintain constitutional authority over war powers.

The senator then addresses the growing grassroots fury over the likely failure of the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voting. Paul confirms the bill does not have the votes to pass, blames divisions among Republicans in mail‑in‑ballot states, and notes that while he supports the legislation, GOP resistance from states like Utah, Arizona, and Alaska prevents a unified front.

Clay and Buck close Hour 2 by shifting briefly to domestic policy, highlighting the eye‑popping cost of homelessness in New York City—currently equivalent to $80,000 per homeless individual per year—and how government‑funded nonprofits consume massive resources without reducing homelessness. They invite more listener talkbacks about the Rand Paul–Markwayne Mullin feud, emphasizing how rare and dramatic it is to see two high‑profile Republicans openly clash at a moment of escalating global conflict.

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