Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign as Democrats widen their attacks on the Trump administration's immigration agenda.
Noem was in Los Angeles to address the anti-ICE riots there when Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) disrupted her. He was detained and forcibly removed from the press conference.
The Trump administration says Padilla did not identify himself before he stormed in and "lunged" towards Noem, causing a scene. But Democrats dispute this, calling his expulsion an affront to democracy.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that Secret Service agents thought Padilla posed a threat after he ignored "repeated commands" to back away.
Noem later met with Padilla in private to discuss his concerns.
"I wish he would've acted that way in the beginning rather than creating a scene," she said in a social media post.
Still, Democrats have raised an outcry over Padilla's treatment as they ramp up attacks on Trump's immigration agenda.
Democrats have blasted Trump's response to the riots in Los Angeles as an "authoritarian" overreach, with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) suing Trump over his deployment of the National Guard.
In a similar vein, Democrats are invoking democracy as they claim Padilla was targeted to silence dissent against the administration.
Schiff, a notorious Trump critic, says he is "disgusted" by the video of Padilla being detained, and that Noem should step aside.
"Kristi Noem should never have been appointed to that office," Schiff told reporters on Capitol Hill. "She should resign from that office. There ought to be an investigation of the conduct of those officers."
Padilla had "every right to go into that room and demand answers," Schiff added. "That is what a senator does, and for him to get that kind of abusive treatment, every senator who works in this Capitol should be offended by this and outraged by this."
While Democrats focus on the Trump administration's purported misdeeds, the White House says Schiff's anger is misplaced.
"Padilla stormed a press conference, without wearing his Senate pin or previously identifying himself to security, yelled, and lunged toward Secretary Noem," White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said.
"Padilla didn’t want answers; he wanted attention. Padilla embarrassed himself and his constituents with this immature, theater-kid stunt -- but it’s telling that Democrats are more riled up about Padilla than they are about the violent riots and assaults on law enforcement in LA," she added.
