Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif) has demanded the resignation of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Christa Noem following an incident where Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif) was forcibly removed and subsequently handcuffed during her press conference in Los Angeles.
“Christa Noem should step down after what occurred under her watch. No one asked for this. We were assured that violent criminals would be deported, yet over the weekend, not only was a U.S. citizen arrested, but now a U.S. senator has been detained—marking the second such incident within a 45-day span,” Swalwell stated.
“This situation is unacceptable. It resembles a chaotic scene with her agents behaving like bank robbers from the 1800s. They’re masked like some KGB operatives. This is not what America stands for. She needs to come to Congress and answer for this,” he added.
In response, officials from the Trump administration came down hard on Swalwell, including White House communications director Stephen Chen, who criticized him on Thursday via X, calling his remarks “lies from someone who’s clearly disgruntled with his position.” Chen dismissed Swalwell as either a madman or a puppet peddling rumors.
During the press conference, Padilla attempted to question Noem. He identified himself and approached the front of the room, only to be forcibly handled by agents who pushed him towards the door, pinned him down, and cuffed him.
The incident has sparked outrage among Democrats in Congress, including Padilla’s colleague, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif), who stated he would “resign” in solidarity.
“Padilla retained all his rights as a U.S. senator to attend public events and press meetings. Instead, he was treated like a criminal, forced to the ground and handcuffed, which is infuriating,” Swalwell remarked.
The White House countered, claiming Padilla was merely seeking attention.
“Padilla embarrassed both himself and his constituents with this display, but he would rather focus on his antics than on the violent riots and assaults against law enforcement in Los Angeles,” the statement read.
“If this administration reacts this way to senators with questions, we can only speculate what’s occurring with farm workers, cooks, and communities throughout California and across the nation,” Padilla later expressed.
The California senator mentioned in a statement that he was “repeatedly told to retreat but failed to comply with the officers’ orders.”
“@secretservice believed he was an attacker, and the officers acted appropriately,” the DHS noted, adding that Padilla and Noem had a 15-minute meeting following the confrontation.
Source: thehill.com