Senator Markwayne Mullin, President Trump's nominee for homeland security secretary, claimed at a 2023 meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan that the monarch personally rescued him and other Americans using his helicopter. This startling assertion, relayed to a closed-door congressional panel, emerged during a confirmation hearing where Mullin faced scrutiny over his past statements about overseas experience. Witnesses described the king maintaining an impassive demeanor while an aide redirected the conversation.

Mullin's history of suggesting firsthand familiarity with war-zone operations, despite never serving in the military, has drawn criticism. He further claimed a classified 2016 trip to Jordan involved SERE training, a military program for survival and evasion, which committee members found unprecedented for a sitting lawmaker. Congressional records confirm Mullin's August 16-19, 2016, taxpayer-funded trip to Jordan, though the connection to the rescue claim remains unclear.