U.S Senator Alex Padilla was wrestled to the floor and put in handcuffs at the Los Angeles Federal Building today during a news conference with Kristi Noem.
"I am Senator Alex Padilla, and I have a question for the secretary," the California senator said while a man wearing a black shirt pushed him out of the room. "Hands off!" he shouted as men, some without identification, manhandled him before detaining him in handcuffs. (See video below, first one posted by Brooklyn Dad Defiant and the second by Ron Filipkowski.)
Meanwhile, Noem told a crowd that the Trump regime would purge Los Angeles of its leadership. "We're not going away," she said to reporters, via NBC News. "We are going to liberate the city from the burdensome leadership, mayor and governor." If that isn't full-on fascism, I don't know what is.
From NBC News:
Noem was speaking in Los Angeles about recent ICE operations in the region when Padilla was removed from the room after saying, "You insist on exaggerating." At least two men approached Padilla, a Democrat, near a wall and pushed him through doors near the rear of the room. …
Noem had been speaking on California and Los Angeles leadership moments before Padilla was removed.
"We're not going away," Noem said just before the disruption. "We are going to liberate the city from the burdensome leadership, mayor and governor."
Padilla's office put out a statement explaining what happened. "Senator Padilla is currently in Los Angeles exercising his duty to perform Congressional oversight of the federal government's operations in Los Angeles and across California," the statement said, via NBC News. "He was in the federal building to receive a briefing with General Guillot and was listening to Secretary Noem's press conference. He tried to ask the Secretary a question, and was forcibly removed by federal agents, forced to the ground and handcuffed. He is not currently detained, and we are working to get additional information."
Previously: Trump's fascist birthday parade falls on No Kings Day — the largest nationwide protest yet
