ICE Barbie Kristi Noem's LA riots press conference interrupted as Democrat Senator is thrown out
California Senator Alex Padilla shouted over Noem before he was forcibly removed from the room by multiple guards and placed in handcuffs.
Noem was speaking and the Q&A portion of the meeting had not yet started when Padilla begun heckling and interrupting. He said: 'I'm Senator Alex Padilla, and I have questions for the secretary.'
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
As Padilla was escorted out of the room during the tense interaction, he said: 'The fact of the matter is half a dozen violent criminals that you're rotating on your... hands off!'
Startling footage shared by Padilla's team show him being forced to his knees, then onto the ground and outside of the room before being put in handcuffs by the FBI.
Padilla, who is the son of Mexican immigrants, slammed the Trump administration and their treatment of migrants after the ordeal at his own blistering press conference.
In a statement he said: 'If this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they're doing to farmworkers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community.'
Trump's immigration chief Noem was in Los Angeles to discuss the Trump Administration's response to the anti-ICE protests and immigration raids that have been occurring in the area.
As Padilla interrupted, Noem said: 'We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate this city from the socialist and the burdensome leadership that this governor and mayor have placed on this country and what they've tried to insert in this city.'
Noem condemned the senator for the disruption and noted that he had not even asked for a meeting with her.
She added: 'I think everybody in America would agree that that was inappropriate.'
Padilla's team released a statement shortly after insisting that he was at the press conference to perform his congressional duties.
The statement read: '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.
'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.'
After the press conference, Noem addressed the incident while standing outside the federal building.
She said: 'If he would have reached out and identified himself and let us know who he was and wanted to talk. His approach was something I don't think was appropriate at all. But the conversation was great and we are going to communicate.
'We exchanged phone numbers and we are going to continue to talk. People need to identify themselves before lunging during press conferences.'
DHS said on X that Secret Service agents believed Padilla was an attacker and so acted accordingly.
The agency 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.
'Mr Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers' repeated commands. @SecretService thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately.
'Secretary Noem met with Senator Padilla after and held a 15 minute meeting.'
Noem called Padilla's statement about the incident 'ridiculous' and told Fox News she believed he wanted to cause a scene.
She said: 'The way that he acted was completely inappropriate. It wasn't becoming of a U.S. Senator or official and perhaps he wanted the scene.
'This man burst into a room and started advancing towards the podium, interrupting an opening statement and, elevating his voice and shouting questions.
'People tried to stop him from interrupting the press conference, but he refused and continued to lunge towards the podium.'
Noem told the outlet that she met with the senator for about 10 to 15 minutes afterwards and the two even exchanged phone numbers.
California Governor Gavin Newsom condemned Padilla's detention on social media.
He said: 'Sen Alex Padilla is one of the most decent people I know. This is outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful. Trump and his shock troops are out of control. This must end now.
'If they can handcuff a U.S. Senator for asking a question, imagine what they will do to you.'
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who Padilla replaced in the senate when she was elected VP, said: 'United States Senator Alex Padilla was representing the millions of Californians who are demanding answers to this Administration's actions in Southern California. This is a shameful and stunning abuse of power.'
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski told reporters: 'It's horrible. It is shocking at every level. It's not the America I know.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Americans are cutting their spending amid economic uncertainty, reports show
Economic uncertainty is prompting Americans to significantly reduce spending six months into Donald Trump 's second term. Consumer spending growth has slowed considerably, with a marginal 0.1 percent increase in June following a decline in May. New tariffs introduced by Donald Trump, effective from August 1, are forecast to cost the average household $2,400 by 2025. The U.S. economy added only 73,000 jobs in July, a dismal report that reportedly led to the dismissal of the chief labor statistician. Widespread consumer anxiety is evident, with many concerned about rising costs for groceries and housing, leading to reduced purchases across various sectors.
Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
CNN expert pays Trump the ultimate compliment while discussing tariffs
CNN 's data expert Harry Enten called Donald Trump the most influential president of the 21st century. Enten - who often breaks down polling issues for the left-leaning network - said that Trump is 'remaking' America in a way George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden didn't. He credits that to Trump's hardline policy to fix the southern border and even his controversial tariff policies. 'I can't think of a more influential president during this century, and it starts here with tariffs. He said he was going to raise tariffs, and despite the claims otherwise, he is in fact doing that,' Enten said. He noted that tariffs are now 'nine times as high as it was last year. The highest since the 90s.' Enten then pivoted to how Trump has influenced America via his immigration policies. 'The other big thing that Trump ran on was immigration. How about net migration in the United States? Get this, it's down. It's going to be down at least 60%. We may be dealing with, get this, negative net migration to the United States in 2025,' he said. He added that this would be the first time America had negative net migration in a half a century. 'So Donald Trump has always run on tariffs, and he's running a hawkish line on immigration,' he said. 'And on both of those issues we are seeing record high tariff rates for this century going all the way back, well back into the early part of the 20th century. And when it comes to immigration, net migration We are seeing record low levels way down from where we were during the Biden administration.' Trump's influence and popularity lines up with a recent exclusive Daily Mail/J.L. Partners poll, even as they give him failing grades for his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Forty-nine percent of voters now approve of Trump's job performance as president, up one point from the tracking survey conducted earlier in July. But he remains underwater as 51 percent disapprove of Trump's job performance, down one point from earlier in the month. The margin of error in the survey of 1,007 registered voters is 3.1 percent. The poll numbers suggest Trump is surviving politically during a punishing news cycle consumed by the Epstein files and his administration's failure to disclose them as he promised during his presidential campaign. The president's job approval is up one percentage point from June and remains his highest rating since May. 'The news saga might have seemed terrible for Trump in the last few days, but it isn't having an impact on his approval rating,' James Johnson, JL Partners co-founder told the Daily Mail. 'In fact, we think it's going up, from 48 percent to 49 percent, making this his best approval rating since May. His ratings with the base is holding up too, unchanged on 91 percent with Republicans,' Johnson continued. But Trump's strong job approval ratings does not carry over to his handling of the Epstein files. Forty-two percent of voters disapprove of his handling of the issue while just 27 percent approve. A significant number of voters, 20 percent, did not appear to care about the case as they neither approved nor disapproved Trump's handling of the issue. In the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump referred to the ongoing saga as a 'witch hunt' indicating he was tired of answering questions from the media about it. Despite the president's best efforts to put the issue behind him, few voters believe in the administration's assessment of the case. Only fifteen percent in the poll said they believed the Justice Department's memo released by Attorney General Pam Bondi concluding that Epstein committed suicide in prison and that the infamous pedofile did not have a 'client list' they could release. Forty-seven percent said they did not believe the administration's account of the Epstein case, and that they believed there was more secrets to uncover. Twenty-three percent said they believed the Trump administration memo, but that there was more to uncover in the case. Ninety percent of the Republican voter base continue to grant the president solid approval ratings, despite their misgivings about the Epstein files. The poll was conducted as Trump furiously contested a Wall Street Journal report that he had signed a letter to Epstein for his 50th birthday which concluded: 'Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret,' and featured a hand-drawn image of a naked woman as well as his signature. Trump decried the news article as 'fake' and filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the company. 'They are judging Trump on other issues - such as the economy, the southern border, and how he is actually running the country. Their grumbles on the Epstein handling are not enough for them to turn on their man,' Johnson said. While the majority of Republicans, 52 percent, give Trump a passing grade on his handling of the Epstein files, just 13 percent of Independent voters feel the same way.
Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Stephen Colbert's next move after The Late Show cancellation gets mixed reaction from fans
Stephen Colbert was back in headlines Monday after snagging his first prominent gig after CBS & Paramount canceled The Late Show last month after 10 seasons, citing declining late night revenues. Colbert's cancellation after a 10-season run drummed up considerable controversy: Some said it was just business as usual, and that Colbert's left-leaning politics alienated a significant chunk of potential viewers. Others said that Colbert, 61, was clearly a political martyr amid the changing times under President Donald Trump, who praised the network's decision to let go of Colbert, a long-running critic of his. The Washington, D.C.-born entertainer was set to play a late night host in a guest role on the CBS series Elsbeth, Vulture reported Friday, adding that he began filming his art-imitates-life role last week in New York City. Other stars who have made cameos on the series in the past include Retta, Matthew Broderick, Laurie Metcalf and Jane Krakowski. Some of the reactions to Colbert's first major professional move after his cancellation appeared to support it. Reactions were mixed to Stephen Colbert snagging his first prominent gig in a guest role on the CBS series Elsbeth after CBS & Paramount canceled his late night series The Late Show last month after 10 seasons A few commenters were supportive of Colbert personally but remained critical of CBS & Paramount, questioning why Colbert would continue to work with a corporation who people think used him as a political football to appease the president amid a politically-sensitive merger. One user said, 'I LOVE Elspeth (Carrie Preston!) and Stephen. If true, this could be an EPIC match up! But on NBC!' Another noted that 'CBS wasn't counting the fact that Colbert's show served as advertising for their shows in their financials.' Said one user: 'You can't put a price on bending a knee.' Others remained critical of the late night host, with one user writing, 'Zzz. He is a biased loser.' Another said of Elsbeth: 'Oh - another show that doesn't win its time slot.' Some pointed out the irony of Colbert's role on the show, with one person asking, 'So, is Stephen to play a late night talk show host who, as it turns out, was killed by a network executive?' Another predicted: 'The big-name guest star is almost always the murderer, as the episodes show the murder happening first, and then how the detectives solve it, so he'll probably be the one killing the network executive.' Reactions were varied toward Colbert's next career move The initial poster later added, 'My "question" was more rhetorical based on real world events, but I get the premise you describe.' Emmy-winning actress Sandra Oh, 54, garnered controversy after making a number of strong comments on the July 22 edition of The Late Show, with one prominent CBS commentator saying her sentiments were misguided. 'Like probably everyone here and everyone who is so supportive outside wants to say that I am so sorry and saddened and properly outraged for the cancellation of late-night here,' Oh said. Oh, a two-time Golden Globe winner, said that the decision made on the corporate level - which many say had political undertones - was a game-changer for standards in the U.S. amid President Donald Trump 's second term. 'Not only for yourself and for this entire family who are here, but for what it means, of what it means where we are in our culture and what it means for free speech,' said the Sideways actress. 'So I just want to say, sorry, and also if I can have your hand,' she told the host, 'to CBS and Paramount - a plague on both of your houses.' Colbert said he was 'very grateful' as he wagged his finger, adding, 'I think they've been great partners.' Tony Dokoupil of CBS Mornings subsequently said Oh had things pegged wrong in blaming Colbert's show ending on politics, amid a changing economic landscape in late night TV - and culture. 'The business is broken,' Dokoupil said. 'And what no one seems to acknowledge is that the politics also changed. 'The business changed and so did the politics, and it got way more one-sided than anything Johnny Carson was ever doing.' (Carson, who died in 2005, famously was one to steer clear of going too far left or right so as not to put off a chunk of his audience.) Dokoupil added, 'I think we should reflect on those changes as well - it's been a big shift culturally in that regard also.' The move to ax Colbert was a controversial one within some circles of Hollywood, as the late night host has received words of public support from the genre's elder statesman, David Letterman. Also critical was the former host of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart, who said Colbert was cancelled to grease through the $8 billion merger between Paramount and Skydance Media. The huge business transaction needed to be OK'ed by the Federal Communications Commission under Trump's administration, and it was after The Late Show was cancelled. 'The shows that you now seek to cancel, censor and control, a not insignificant portion of that $8 billion value came from those f***ing shows,' Stewart said. Dokoupil said that while he understood 'the emotional views' Stewart expressed, they weren't square with good business tactics. 'I don't have an MBA but he's not right that the merger, the $8 billion, is based on reruns of a comedy show, no,' he said. 'People are buying the movies and the sitcoms and the sports.
