The California senator who was cuffed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s guards last week said there should be “serious questions” about her resignation.
Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that Noem’s actions reflected the extremity of law enforcement’s responses under President Donald Trump’s administration. Padilla was attempting to interrupt Noem’s press address with a question when he was grabbed and taken out of the room on Thursday.
Padilla stopped short of outright calling for Noem’s resignation, but he questioned Noem’s claims of not knowing who he was after he identified himself.
“Look, that’s maybe not my focus right now, but I do think there’s some serious questions,“ Padilla told CNN’s Dana Bash. ”How does a Cabinet secretary not know the senator from California when she steps foot into Los Angeles?”
He added, “She came through the Senate for confirmation at one point. And, certainly, how does the secretary of homeland security not know how to de-escalate a situation? It’s because she can’t or because they don’t want to.”
DHS did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
Padilla’s comments came days after multiple Democrats, including fellow California Sen. Adam Schiff and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, called for Noem to step down over the incident.
In the aftermath of the incident, Noem and a DHS spokesperson immediately tried to claim her agents didn’t know who Padilla was and accused him of engaging in “political theater.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also said Padilla’s behavior was “childish.”
“This man burst into the room, started lunging towards the podium, interrupting me and elevating his voice, and was stopped,” Noem told Fox News. “He did not identify himself and was removed from the room. So, as soon as he identified himself, appropriate actions were taken.”
But video from the Thursday incident showed Padilla repeatedly identifying himself as a U.S. senator before and while the agents dragged him out.
“I have questions for the secretary, because the fact of the matter is a half a dozen violent criminals that should be–” Padilla said while struggling with the agents.
Noem and Padilla met after the episode for 15 minutes, a conversation they both characterized as productive. But Padilla said on Sunday the altercation reflected the “tone” of how the Trump administration carried itself as it proceeds with its sweeping anti-immigrant agenda.
“It sets the tone,” Padilla said. “Donald Trump and Secretary Noem have set the tone for the Department of Homeland Security and the entire administration in terms of escalation and extreme enforcement actions.”
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