Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi "Fascist Barbie" Noem was in California Thursday, threatening to remove the democratically elected governments of the state and of the city of Los Angeles, when Sen. Alex Padilla tried to ask her a question.
Now, on the one hand, Padilla is a sitting United States senator. On the other hand, he is a brown man who had an inconvenient question. Federal agents dragged Padilla from Fascist Barbie's presence, then forced him to the ground and handcuffed him. There are multiple video angles of this, which you can see below.
There's a lot to be said about this. But two things float to the surface for me.
1) Senate Democrats need to treat this as the emergency as it is. You don't get a much clearer illustration of how very serious the ongoing Trump coup is than an administration official threatening "We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into the city." But one way you get a clearer illustration of the threat is when an elected official of the opposition party is dragged out of the room for attempting to respond. This is not a moment for careful messaging or for pausing to consider how Noem's statement might poll once Fox News and a horde of right-wing influencers have filled the vacuum left by Democrats for several days.
2) Everything we know about California Gov. Gavin Newsom tells us that he loves attention. Can't get enough of it. Will do anything for it. That being the case, he must be green with envy over the attention on Padilla. Well, governor, one way to draw focus would be with an appropriately ferocious response to this outrage. Padilla is from both California and the Senate, and it's now you vs. Senate Democrats for who can be the most effective opposition. Get to it.
Kristi Noem: "We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into the city." Sen. Alex Padilla is then forcibly removed!
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona.bsky.social) 2025-06-12T18:06:08.896Z
Sitting US Senator Alex Padilla forcibly wrestled to the ground and arrested by the FBI for attempting to ask a question of DHS secretary Kristin Noem.
— Alejandra Caraballo (@esqueer.net) 2025-06-12T18:40:59.172Z
UPDATE: Padilla responds:
PADILLA: “If this is how the administration responds to a Senator with a question, you can only imagine what they're doing to farmworkers, cooks, and day laborers throughout the country.”
— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) 2025-06-12T19:44:02.591Z
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