Politics
WATCH: Senator Padilla Chokes Up, Nearly Cries After Stunt Resulting In Detainment
Senator Chris Padilla (D-CA) was on the verge of tears when describing his stunt that led to his removal from a Department of Homeland Security press conference on Thursday afternoon.
Padilla showed up to a Los Angeles press briefing on the days-long unrest in the city, where DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was describing the agency’s response to the unrest and commitment to deportation operations. Midway through the event, Padilla stormed into the room and accused Noem of “exaggerating” the level of violence in Los Angeles.
The senator was promptly removed from the room by federal personnel and ultimately handcuffed for a brief period before being released.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin announced that Secret Service agents thought Padilla was an attacker due to the aggressive manner in which he stormed into the room.
“Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem,” McLaughlin announced in an X post. “Mr. Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands. [Secret Service] thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately.”
Noem and Padilla then had a 15-minute meeting, which was described as “cordial,” and exchanged phone numbers.
Despite the meeting, Padilla soon got behind the podium himself for a press conference of his own, during which he accused the administration of police brutality. “I’m here in Los Angeles today, and I was here in the federal building, in the conference room, awaiting a scheduled briefing from federal officials as part of my responsibility as a senator to provide oversight and accountability,” a tearful Padilla began after telling reporters that he would not be taking questions.
“Since the beginning of the year, but especially over the course of recent weeks, I, several of my colleagues, have been asking the Department of Homeland Security for more information and more answers on their increasingly extreme immigration enforcement actions and we’ve gotten little to no information in response to our inquiries,” he continued, ignoring the fact that Noem testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee less than a month ago.
The senator further claimed that he showed up merely to ask questions, ignoring the fact that he interrupted the secretary’s statement and advanced towards the podium. “I was not arrested. I was not detained. I will say this, if this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, if this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they’re doing to farm workers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country,” Padilla ranted.
Senator Padilla was not arrested and will not be facing any charges as a result of the incident.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino defended the actions of his agents in responding to a perceived threat. “With regard to the incident in LA this afternoon, the Senator in question was not wearing a security pin and physically resisted law enforcement when confronted,” Bongino wrote in an X post.
“Our FBI personnel acted completely appropriately while assisting Secret Service and we are grateful for their professionalism and service.”
