Earlier on Thursday, as Townhall has been covering, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) was dealt with by Secret Service after he tried to storm his way to the front of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem's press briefing over the Los Angeles riots. Although he was promptly thrown out, he and Noem were still able to meet up afterwards for a conversation and even exchanged numbers. Such behavior ought not to go ignored, though, and has led Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to suggest that the Senate should even censure Padilla.
The conclusion of such a meeting didn't stop Democrats from furthering Padilla's "disrespectful political theatre" though, with members marching to both Johnson's office and the office of Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).
Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem.
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) June 12, 2025
Mr. Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’… https://t.co/JkwevrKn3y
I’m told Noem is in a room meeting with Senator Padilla right now. After I stopped recording, my team witnessed him being taken to the ground by FBI personnel and he was temporarily detained. Awaiting further details on what happened out of our view.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) June 12, 2025
NEW: FBI LA statement to @FoxNews re: Senator Padilla
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) June 12, 2025
"During a press conference today held at the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, Senator Alex Padilla was detained by members of the U.S. Secret Service assigned to Secretary Noem’s detail when he became disruptive while formal…
"I saw the same video" that others have seen, Johnson pointed out when speaking to the press. At that moment, Democrats could be heard acting further inappropriately, as they heckled the speaker by claiming what he said was "a lie!" Johnson even acknowledged the hecklers, as he pointed out that "everyone can draw their own conclusions."
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Johnson further stressed that he thinks "the American people can draw their own conclusions," as he pointed out that "they saw the senator... behaving wildly inappropriate," which may be putting it politely.
The speaker then reminded how agents asked Padilla to quiet down, something he refused to do. "What were they supposed to do?" Johnson asked. "They have to restrain someone who is engaged in that kind of behavior."
As the press continued to push Johnson, he stated what should be obvious, which is that "a sitting member of Congress should not act like that," stressing that "it is beneath a member of Congress, it is beneath a U.S. senator, they are supposed to lead by example, and that is not a good example! You have to turn the temperature down in this country, not escalate it."
Johnson also spoke to how the Democrats overall are in the wrong. "The Democratic Party is on the wrong side! They are defending lawbreakers and now they are acting like lawbreakers themselves," he continued, as he stressed how Padilla cannot go about "charging a cabinet member in a press conference."
"We have to turn the temperature down," Johnson reminded. "We need to be on the side of rule of law, we need to be on the side of law and order, we need to be on the side of calm and not chaos," he added, though that certainly does not seem to be what the Democrats are doing at the moment, especially as they not only support the anti-ICE, pro-illegal immigration, pro-terrorist riots in Los Angeles, but gaslight on them." And when members go again to these settings and act this way, when they push law enforcement agents around, when they storm cabinet secretaries in a press conference, I think it is wildly inappropriate behavior, and I think it sends a terrible message and tone for the rest of the country."
When it comes to what should happen to Padilla, Johnson reminded that it's for the Senate, though he also expressed concerns for his own chamber. "I certainly hope that that behavior is not repeated over here."
As he continued to take questions, Johnson further reminded it's for the Senate to deal with, though that is when he brought up censure. "That's not my decision to make, I'm not in that chamber, but I do think that it merits immediate attention by other colleagues over there," he shared, adding that "I think that that behavior at a minimum... it rises to a level of censure. I think there needs to be a message sent by the body as a whole that that is not what we're going to do, it's not how we're going to act. We're not going to have branches fighting physically and having senators charging cabinet secretaries."
"Censure" has been trending over X on Thursday night, as has "Padilla," "Noem," and "Secret Service."
.@SpeakerJohnson: "It was wildly inappropriate. You don't charge a sitting cabinet secretary...A sitting Member of Congress should not act like that...that behavior at a minimum it rises to the level of a censure." pic.twitter.com/FzL1z4WmNi
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 12, 2025
Johnson on Padilla: I saw on the same video a very brief video that I think many people did. I think the senator's actions, my view is it was wildly inappropriate. You don't charge a sitting cabinet secretary
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) June 12, 2025
House Democrats hector Johnson, yelling "that's a lie" in the back…
Censure have actually become much more common than they used to be. Townhall has covered the censures of other Democrats, including now former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), now Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) from when he was a congressman, as well as Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Al Green (D-TX).
Despite Johnson pointing to video footage that has been wildly available over social media, including but not only from DHS, Padilla's fellow Democrats, like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), are claiming over social media that the video footage helps Padilla. MSNBC's Symone Sanders-Townsend has also pointed to the video footage in such a way.
I just spoke with @SenAlexPadilla. He’s standing strong.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 12, 2025
The DHS statement is wildly inaccurate and filled with falsehoods.
The video shows you everything you need to know.
There is no both sides to this one folks. The government is saying the senator “lunged” at the Secretary and did not identify himself. We have a video where we can see and hear the opposite.
— Symone D. Sanders Townsend (@SymoneDSanders) June 12, 2025
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