Padilla hopes people feel ‘outrage’ over his forcible removal and detainment
California Sen. Alex Padilla hopes people will feel the same outrage he felt after being forcibly removed from a news conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday.
Video of the incident showed Padilla trying to walk up to Noem while she was speaking at a podium during the conference in Los Angeles. Padilla simultaneously attempted to shout over Noem, but law enforcement stepped in and forcefully stopped Padilla’s advance.
Padilla was eventually taken to the ground and handcuffed, the video showed. He gave emotional remarks afterward to reporters.
In his first solo interview since his removal, Padilla told MSNBC’s Jacob Soboroff that he has been doing okay but “most importantly” hopes people will understand the “outrage” behind the event.
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“I think most importantly is the outrage that I hope people feel,” Padilla said on “The Beat with Ari Melber.” “If this can happen to a United States Senator for having the audacity to ask a question of the Secretary of Homeland Security, the same questions and requests for information that we’ve had, not just for the last week or so for the activity in Los Angeles, but since the beginning of the administration, then just imagine what can happen to anybody in the country, for that matter.”
He insisted that there was no “lunging” towards Noem and that he only “raised [his] voice” to ask Noem a question. Padilla confirmed that he was handcuffed and detained before being released a few minutes later and offered a meeting with Noem.
Padilla argued that, despite speaking with Noem, he still didn’t receive the answer to his questions.
“You think she might have started the meeting with an apology for what happened. Of course not,” Padilla said.
In a statement to Fox News, the White House attacked Padilla for interrupting the press conference for what it called a “theater-kid stunt.”
“Padilla stormed a press conference without wearing his Senate pin or previously identifying himself to security, yelled and lunged toward Secretary Noem,” White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson said.
“Padilla didn’t want answers; he wanted attention. Padilla embarrassed himself and his constituents with this immature, theater-kid stunt, but it’s telling that Democrats are more riled up about Padilla than they are about the violent riots and assaults on law enforcement in LA.”
