Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who was forcibly removed and handcuffed at a news conference for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem earlier this week, questioned the meaning behind Noem not recognizing the senator from California amid the incident.
“What does it say about the secretary, to not know who the senator from California is?” Padilla questioned while talking with CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union,” talking about Noem.
In an interview on Fox News’s ‘The Story with Martha MacCallum” on Thursday, Noem said that “nobody knew who” Padilla was amid the incident.
“I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful or disruptive, I don’t think I was,” Padilla said of the incident. “I was simply asking a question.”
Video of the incident showed multiple men restraining Padilla and forcing him out of the room, while other footage showed they later pushed him to the floor to handcuff him.
“I’m Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,” Padilla is heard saying as multiple people push him out of the room.
In a post on X Thursday, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said, “Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem.”