Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel defended his recent remarks about Markwayne Mullin, the newly sworn-in homeland security secretary, amid backlash from conservatives. Kimmel clarified that he did not intend to insult plumbers but to question Mullin's qualifications for the role. He blamed President Donald Trump for amplifying the criticism.
Jimmy Kimmel addressed the controversy on his Thursday broadcast, noting that President Trump had complained about him earlier that day on Fox News' 'The Five.' '[The president’s] apple polishers are all in a tizzy because I made light of the fact that his new head of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, before he was a senator, was a plumber,' Kimmel said. He added, 'And now he’s the head of Homeland Security. Which is not necessarily the kind of resume you might hope for, for the person in charge of protecting us from terrorism.'
