Politics

MTG Says Padilla ‘Should Be Prosecuted’ Over Incident at Noem’s Press Conference

By Jake Beardslee · June 13, 2025

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) called for Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) to face criminal charges after a chaotic encounter at a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) press conference, where Padilla was handcuffed and forcibly removed by law enforcement.

Speaking Thursday on NewsNation’s “The Hill,” Greene said, “I think he should be charged. He should be prosecuted,” alleging that Padilla entered the event “very aggressively,” resisted law enforcement, and failed to wear the identification pin used to distinguish members of Congress. “Secret Service and all Capitol police are trained to see” that pin, she said.

Padilla had attended the press conference to question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem regarding federal crackdowns in California amid widespread protests. During the event, he identified himself verbally as a senator but was not wearing his congressional pin. Greene alleged he “fought police” and “aggressively refused to leave.”

In a press conference afterward, Padilla disputed Greene’s version of events, saying he was “handcuffed but not arrested or detained.” He explained: “At one point I had a question… I was there peacefully… I began to ask a question,” but was “almost immediately forcibly removed from the room,” then “forced to the ground” and handcuffed.

The incident, caught on video and widely circulated online, has sparked condemnation from Democratic lawmakers. Padilla said, “If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, I can only imagine what they’re doing to farmworkers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) sharply rebuked the Trump administration, sharing the video on social media and writing, “.@SenAlexPadilla is one of the most decent people I know. This is outrageous, dictatorial, and shameful. Trump and his shock troops are out of control. This must end now.”

In a follow-up post, Newsom warned: “If they can handcuff a U.S. Senator for asking a question, imagine what they will do to you,” alongside an image of Padilla on the floor surrounded by agents.