Adam Schiff says Padilla had ‘every right’ to interrupt DHS Secretary Noem – Washington Examiner
Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) defended fellow California Senator Alex Padilla after Padilla interrupted a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi noem in Los Angeles. Schiff criticized the way Padilla was forcibly removed from the event, calling it “atrocious” and asserting that Padilla had every right to question Noem about the Department of Homeland Security’s actions in Los Angeles.Following the incident,which Padilla’s actions described as “political theater,” Schiff expressed dismay over the treatment of Padilla and highlighted the senator’s respected position and intellect. Noem reportedly wished Padilla had approached her differently, suggesting that had he requested a meeting, the situation could have been avoided. Schiff also emphasized serious ongoing issues in California,particularly regarding the Trump management’s deployment of the National Guard during unrest related to immigration enforcement. The incident has prompted a wave of fundraising efforts from Democratic lawmakers, galvanized by Padilla’s experience and the surrounding political tensions.
Adam Schiff says Padilla had ‘every right’ to interrupt DHS Secretary Noem
Sen Adam Schiff (D-CA) argued Sunday that his fellow California senator was in the right to interrupt a recent press conference for the Department of Homeland Security, calling it “atrocious” how he was escorted out of the meeting.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) went viral on Thursday when he spoke over and tried to move toward Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as she held a press conference in Los Angeles. Security acted quickly to push him toward the exit. Noem has described Padilla’s actions as “political theater,” though Schiff claimed that the senator was trying to ask a question and that Noem did not want to discuss “the lawless acts” by the DHS in Los Angeles.
“So, he had every right to do so. That’s part of his oversight responsibilities, and to be treated that way and to be responded to by saying, ‘Oh, we didn’t know who you are’ when it was literally written on his shirt or his jacket when he was proclaiming who he is, I don’t buy it,” Schiff stated on NBC News’s Meet the Press. “And for those of us that know Alex, you would be more hard-pressed a more beloved senator on either side of the aisle — respected on both sides of the aisle for his intellect and demeanor. This is not some rabble rouser, and to see him mistreated that way and tackled to the ground and shackled that way, and in the midst of what we’re seeing more broadly in Los Angeles, is just atrocious, and I think all of us that work with him reacted with that kind of revulsion.”
Noem confirmed that she spoke with Padilla following his outburst and wished he had chosen to talk to her directly instead of interrupting her address. When Schiff was asked if Padilla should have requested a meeting, the senator said he thought Padilla had requested a meeting, and that he did not see “any kind of responsiveness.”
Schiff also vented about the Trump administration’s use of the National Guard to quell the riots in Los Angeles, which cropped up over the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportations of illegal immigrants. He argued that California has a “very special bond of trust” with the National Guard, and that the administration’s deployment of the guard could “potentially erode” this trust.
PADILLA HANDCUFFING IGNITES FIRESTORM ON CAPITOL HILL AS DEMOCRATS DEMAND ACTION
Following Padilla’s scuffle with law enforcement, multiple Democratic lawmakers and organizations sent fundraising emails focused on the senator’s encounter. An email from Schiff, for instance, asked for donations to his and Padilla’s campaigns as the senators “continue to demand accountability from [the Trump] administration and fight for Californians.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has also vocalized her opposition to Padilla’s detainment, claiming she could no longer “recognize” Noem after the two of them served in Congress. Additionally, the mayor pushed back against Noem calling Los Angeles a “war zone,” describing that as an “outright lie.”
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