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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was speaking at a press conference in Los Angeles when someone tried to interrupt with a question. It wasn’t a reporter, however, it was a local Democratic senator. NBC News reported:
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) was forcibly removed from a press conference in Los Angeles by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Noem said the Justice Department would find and prosecute protesters who committed violence in recent days, thanked law enforcement and lambasted California officials when Padilla began shouting in Noem’s direction, according to video of the press conference. It’s unclear what Padilla said before footage shows him being pulled out of the room by several men.
It goes without saying that it’s not common to see a U.S. senator getting manhandled at a press conference led by a Cabinet secretary.
A separate video showed men in a nearby hallway pushing Padilla onto the floor outside the room, face down, where he was handcuffed.
A written statement issued by the California Democrat’s office noted soon after the incident, “Senator Padilla is currently in Los Angeles exercising his duty to perform Congressional oversight of the federal government’s operations in Los Angeles and across California. He was in the federal building to receive a briefing with General Guillot and was listening to Secretary Noem’s press conference.
“He tried to ask the Secretary a question, and was forcibly removed by federal agents, forced to the ground and handcuffed. He is not currently detained, and we are working to get additional information.”
Padilla, it's worth emphasizing, is the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee's panel on immigration, citizenship, and border safety. His oversight responsibilities on matters of immigration enforcement should be obvious.
While the extraordinary way in which the senator was treated is obviously the key development, it’s also worth pausing to note the comments that Padilla interrupted. As the local NBC affiliate noted, the homeland security secretary, before the interruption, said, “We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into the city.”
As Noem really ought to know, it does not fall on federal officials to “liberate” an American city from its own elected leadership.
Try to imagine a parallel hypothetical. Imagine it’s 2021; Alejandro Mayorkas is leading DHS; and Joe Biden has just deployed military personnel to Dallas over the objections of state and local officials. Then imagine Mayorkas is holding a press conference in a federal building, where Sen. Ted Cruz received a briefing, after which the Republican senator decides to interrupt the homeland security secretary with questions.
Then imagine, in this same hypothetical, Cruz is forcibly removed from a press conference as Mayorkas vows to “liberate” Dallas of its elected leadership.
What do you suppose the reaction would be?
The developments did not go unnoticed on Capitol Hill. “To look at this video and see what happened reeks of totalitarianism,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in floor remarks delivered shortly after the incident. “This is not what democracies do.”
The New York Democrat added, “It’s despicable. It’s disgusting. It is so un-American, and we need answers. We need answers immediately.”
As NBC News’ report added, Sen. Adam Schiff, the state’s other Democratic senator, wrote online that Padilla “represents the best of the Senate. The disgraceful and disrespectful conduct of DHS agents, pushing and shoving him out of a briefing like that, demands our condemnation. He will not be silenced or intimidated. His questions will be answered. I’m with Alex.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also said online that Padilla “is one of the most decent people I know.” “This is outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful. Trump and his shock troops are out of control. This must end now,” he added.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, of which Padilla is a member, called what happened “unacceptable.” The CHC added, “We demand a full investigation and consequences for every official involved in this assault against a sitting US senator.”
Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota said in a statement of her own that Noem "should resign in disgrace."
While far fewer Republicans have been quick to comment, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said in response to the developments, "It’s horrible. It is shocking at every level. It’s not the America I know.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson bashed Padilla’s actions as “wildly inappropriate” on Thursday, telling reporters that he believes the Democratic senator should be censured over the matter.
“We have to turn the temperature down in this country,” he said.
The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, issued a statement of its own, claiming that the Secret Service thought the senator was "an attacker," adding that Noem agreed to meet privately with Padilla after the incident.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.