Democrat Senator Alex Padilla claims he was in the federal building waiting for a scheduled briefing with federal officials and General Guillot, when he heard DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was giving a press briefing nearby.  Senator Padilla entered the room and attempted to rush toward Noem without announcing his intention; he was intercepted by security and forcibly removed from the room while he began saying who he was.

What is witnessed on the cameras is exactly what would happen to any random person who attempted to confront a cabinet secretary during press briefing. However, Padilla and his tribe are claiming victim status as an outcome of his attempted publicity stunt.  WATCH: 

According to CBS News, Secretary Noem was asked by a reporter about the incident and clarified that she does not know the senator and that he did not request a meeting with her.  “When I leave here, I’ll have a conversation with him and find out really what his concerns were,” Noem said. “I think everyone in America would agree that wasn’t appropriate.”

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Senator Padilla is not a well-known public figure and was likely unknown to many of the security officers and law enforcement in the room at the time of the incident.

VIA CBS – […] Padilla addressed the situation outside the Wilshire Federal Building in Westwood, appearing to get emotional at times. He told reporters he was in the federal building waiting for a scheduled briefing with federal officials and General Guillot when he went to listen to Noem’s speech. He explained that he was trying to get information about DHS’s immigration enforcement actions around the LA area and the state.

After being forcibly removed from the room, Padilla said he was forced to the ground, handcuffed, but was not detained or arrested.

“If this how this administration responds to a senator with a question, if this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a senator with a question you can only imagine what they’re doing to farm workers, to cooks, to day laborers out in the Los Angeles community and throughout California and throughout the country,” he said. (more)