Sen. Alex Padilla’s Violent Removal from DHS Event Is a Shameless Attempt to Silence Critics
“If this is how they treat a senator, what will they do to ordinary Americans?”
On Thursday, following reports that U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of California was handcuffed after being forcibly removed from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference in a Los Angeles federal building, American Oversight released the following statement from Executive Director Chioma Chukwu:
“We condemn the disgraceful and authoritarian manhandling and detention of Senator Padilla for what it is: a shameless attempt to intimidate and silence critics under the guise of strength.
“Senator Padilla’s arrest had nothing to do with law or order — it was a raw display of political power. This administration is making its intentions clear: Dissent will be punished, even if it comes from a sitting U.S. senator on federal ground. That’s not law enforcement. That’s repression. It is about fear, control, and the desperate theatrics designed by an aspiring strongman. If this is how they treat a senator, what will they do to ordinary Americans?”
President Trump recently declared that protesters at his upcoming Capitol Hill military parade would be met with “very heavy force.”