[ad_1]
Newou can listen to Fox News articles!
Forced removal from a press conference held by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif and Director General of Homeland Security (DHS) has sparked a fire in the media and Capitol Hill, unleashing a wave of scrutiny against both lawmakers and the Trump administration.
The tense scene came in the midst of an ongoing anti-ice riot in Los Angeles. This began last week in response to an ice attack in the area. Violent protests and unrest led President Donald Trump to mobilize the National Guard in response, causing him to be thwarted in the city.
“My View”: Senate Republicans explode Alex Padilla after forced removal from DHS Presser
Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem was suspended at a press conference by California Sen. Alex Padilla. (Getty Images/Fox News)
Below is a breakdown of the events between Noem and Padilla and Capitol Hill’s reaction.
In the room
Fox News first reported that the secretary would be holding a briefing, with guidance taking place rounds at about 9am Pacific time. By about 11am on Thursday, the press conference at the FBI headquarters in LA began with NOEMs, local officials and the press.
However, Padilla was also in the building receiving another briefing when she caught the wind from the Gnome press conference. The lawmaker was in Washington a week ago, but only missed the vote on Thursday.
Five minutes after her prepared opening remarks, Padilla exploded into the room. Videos of the incident showed that he didn’t immediately identify himself and was swarmed quickly by Secret Service and FBI agents who angered the “hand-up.”
“I’m Senator Alex Padilla,” he said in the brawl. “The secretary has a question.”
Democrat senators were forced to be removed after crashing DHS secretary Noem’s press conference
R-La. House Speaker Mike Johnson will speak to the US Capitol media in Washington on May 22, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
He was later taken out of the room and brought to the floor, where he was temporarily handcuffed while the press conference continued.
Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant DHS secretary in the room, said Padilla entered the briefing “without identifying herself,” but also said “I put on a Senate security pin when I charged towards Secretary Noem.”
“Padilla was repeatedly told to retreat and did not adhere to the repeated command of the officers,” she said. “[The Secret Service] He was an attacker and the officers thought he had acted appropriately. ”
The pair later met and spoke for 10-15 minutes, and had a good dialogue where Padilla expressed concern over the ice manipulation and even exchanged phone numbers, Noem said.
However, Padilla later shared quite different feelings with the reporter.
“If this is how this administration responds to senators with questions, and this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to senators with questions, then we can only imagine what they are doing in the farm workers, cooks, in the Los Angeles community, and across California,” he said. “We will be accountable to this administration.”
Noem scoffed at his comments and suggested, “Perhaps he wanted a scene.”
“I think Americans are tired of this,” she said. “They just want the truth, they just want to know what’s going on, and that’s what we were trying to offer.”
Meanwhile, in Washington
Padilla’s video quickly spread across Capitol Hill, where House members were preparing for the vote, with some senators watching the sight unfolding on the Senate floor.
The scene caused a firestorm on the media and the hill. There, lawmakers rushed to condemn Padilla’s treatment or blow him up for trying to attract the spotlight in the midst of an ongoing anti-ice riot.
“I think [Padilla] Sen. John Barrasso of R-Wyo, who had not yet seen the video, said, “He’s not going to take responsibility for his members, show up at work and try to create a spectacle of himself.”
Democrats protested against the offices of both House Rep. Mike Johnson and Sen. John Tune and Sen. John Tune, as debates broke out on the House floor.
Democrats have universally condemned the level of force used to remove Padilla, with some calling for an investigation into the issue. Others demanded that Noem resign from her post.
“We need to have an independent investigation into this,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. told MSNBC. “It’s also when Christy Noem resigns. She needs to resign.”
Conservatives exploded after Senator Dem’s “Tantrum” sent a DHS presser from the rail
Senate majority leader John Tune will speak with reporters at Capitol in Washington on June 2, 2025 (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Johnson called for Padilla’s accusation.
“We’re physically fighting and we don’t intend to have a branch where the senators request a cabinet secretary,” he said. “We had to do better. I hope we do that.”
However, Thune took a more cautious approach when he was troubled by reporters due to his reaction to the incident.
He spoke to Padilla, the senator’s arm, and said he was working to contact Noem.
“We want to know the full extent of what happened,” he said. “And do what we do in every such case involving the senators to try to gather all the relevant information.”
Money Maker
Within 24 hours after the incident, Padilla and Senate Democrats, who will not be re-elected until the 2028 cycle, were already funding from a chaotic scene.
In a fundraising email sent on Friday at about 9am Eastern time, Padilla spoke about the event and issued the same warning he had made hours ago.
“Trump and the ice are terrifying the immigrant community,” the email reads. “It targets schools and workplaces. It deports people who don’t have legitimate procedures.”
Click here to get the Fox News app
The Democratic National Committee also jumped into the fight, sending her own donation email a few minutes after Padilla.
The organization accused the Trump administration of taking “actions towards authoritarianism” and called for a split contribution between Padilla and other Democrats so that others have the resources to continue fighting Trump.
“This is not only an attack on the sitting senator, but an attack on our country’s freedom of speech and freedom of expression,” the organization said.
Fox News Digital contacted the Padilla office and the White House to comment on this article.
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital, which covers the US Senate.
[ad_2]Source link
