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Senate shaken: Bipartisan worry erupts after incident involving California Democrat
By Chad Pergram
Published June 13, 2025
Fox News talked to lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who are rattled by the incident with Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.
Padilla was forcibly removed from a press conference as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held a news conference regarding the recent protests in Los Angeles earlier Thursday.
Even some Republicans are privately concerned about how Padilla was treated, although they concede his tactics were aggressive.
This is where some GOPers believe this is theatrical, as Democrats struggle to find a message against the Trump administration that resonates.
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Sen. Alex Padilla speaks during a press conference at the Wilshire Federal Building on Wilshire Blvd. on Thursday in Los Angeles. (Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Senators are particularly shaken. The Senate is a body of equals. And if this can happen to one of them, well, there’s a worry they could be next.
Democrats demand a full-blown investigation.
California Democrats and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus hectored House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in the hall yesterday, accusing him of lying.
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Sen. Alex Padilla, a Democrat from California, departs after speaking to reporters outside the Wilshire Federal Building, after he was forcibly removed after interrupting a news conference being held by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in Los Angeles on June 12. (GETTY IMAGES)
Johnson believes Padilla should be censured.
Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., said she had a private conversation with Johnson on Thursday. She wants to lower the temperature but said only President Donald Trump can do that.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., spoke to Padilla and Senate Sergeant at Arms Jennifer Hemingway about the incident.
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"I remain hopeful that Leader Thune and other Republicans can walk us back from the brink. But I am not so sure anymore," said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-shaken-bipartisan-worry-erupts-after-incident-involving-california-democrat