California Democrat Senator Alex Padilla made headlines for all the wrong reasons Thursday after storming a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press conference.
Padilla’s stunt interrupted DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and ended with the senator being forcibly detained by law enforcement.
Video footage of the incident shows Padilla approaching the podium mid-event in Los Angeles, shouting over Noem as she addressed reporters.
Security quickly intercepted Padilla’s advance, eventually taking him to the ground and placing him in handcuffs.
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Padilla, who has represented California in the U.S. Senate since 2021, later gave emotional remarks to left-wing media.
He attempted to paint himself as the victim in the altercation.
During an MSNBC appearance, Padilla said:
“I hope people feel the same outrage that I felt.
“If this can happen to a United States Senator… imagine what can happen to anybody.”
The Democrat senator insisted he merely “raised [his] voice” to ask a question.
However, this characterization directly contradicts what the video shows and what law enforcement sources have stated.
According to reports, Padilla failed to identify himself as a U.S. senator.
He was not wearing his Senate pin and broke protocol by interrupting a scheduled federal press conference.
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