- Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest? (Wikipedia)
“Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” (also expressed as “troublesome priest” or “meddlesome priest”) is a quote attributed to Henry II of England preceding the death of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170. While the quote was not expressed as an order, it prompted four knights to travel from Normandy to Canterbury, where they killed Becket. The phrase is commonly used in modern-day contexts to express that a ruler’s wish may be interpreted as a command by his or her subordinates. It is also commonly understood as shorthand for any rhetorical device allowing leaders to covertly order or exhort violence among their followers, while still being able to claim plausible deniability for political, legal, or other reasons.
- Markwayne Mullin (Wikipedia)
Markwayne Mullin (born July 26, 1977) is an American politician and businessman who has served as the United States secretary of homeland security since 2026. A member of the Republican Party, Mullin served as the junior United States senator from Oklahoma from 2023 to 2026 and as the U.S. representative for Oklahoma’s second congressional district from 2013 to 2023.