Padilla denies claims he lunged at Noem during LA press conference

Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) denied the Trump administration’s claims that he lunged at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a Thursday presser in Los Angeles.

“I wasn't lunging at her or anybody, and yes, I identified myself,” Padilla told CNN's Erin Burnett Thursday night after being forcibly removed from the presser and placed in handcuffs. 

The lawmaker said he attended the press briefing to ask why the National Guard was deployed by the president to address local protests sparked by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids last week. 

“I'm just trying to do my job as a senator when we ask questions in committee and don't get answers,” he added. 

Padilla said he used the press conference to try a different approach with the Trump administration to gain information on immigration operations after officials failed to respond to letters from lawmakers. 

“I had a potential audience with the secretary, and I took it. Sadly, still not forthcoming with any sort of data or details,” the senator said, before describing his brief meeting with Noem following the incident.  

“You would think, you would hope that that's how the meeting would have started, but no apology, no acknowledgment whatsoever. But it's the Trump administration, so I'm not holding my breath for decency, decorum or manners,” he told CNN.

“One of the big points I was trying to make with her is I get if the Trump administration was doing what Trump said on the campaign trail, let's focus on dangerous, violent criminals for detention and deportation. There's no disagreement there. There's no debate there. But that's not what's happening on the streets of Los Angeles and throughout the country,” he added. 

Padilla said instead lawful residents are being wrongfully removed and detained.

“Where is this going? It's going to keep getting worse. This is how authoritarianism happens, unless and until the people speak up and push back. So that's why you’ve seen so many protesters, vast majority peaceful protesters, not just in and around Los Angeles this last week, but increasingly in other cities,” he told CNN.

“So, we have to continue to exercise our First Amendment rights, keep it peaceful. Violence is not tolerated. Violence is not condoned. That will have its consequences. But people need to continue to speak up because this is not normal,” he added. 

Some Republican lawmakers have called for Padilla to be federally prosecuted over the outburst with Noem while Democrats defended his actions. 

The incident with Padilla follows the federal indictment of Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) for allegedly impeding and interfering with law enforcement officers at an immigration detention center and the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D-N.J.) for trespassing at the same site. 

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