Democrats need to figure out if they really believe if “no one is above the law,” or if they only apply that standard to Republicans.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) provided the latest test of this question. Padilla stormed a press conference from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, tried to push his way past security while shouting at her, and did so without his Senate identification or anything else to properly identify himself. (No, yelling that you are a senator is not identifying yourself, especially when you are trying to push your way toward a government official). He was briefly detained as a result.
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The Democratic outrage is flowing, complete with whining from Gov. Gavin Newsom (CA) and embarrassing tough-guy walks from Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD). Sen. Cory Booker (NJ) may still be chewing the scenery on the Senate floor. One of Fox News’ liberal pundits, Jessica Tarlov, expressed the Democratic sentiment best: “If this can happen to a United States Senator, it can happen to anyone.”
Yes. Isn’t that kind of the point?
If I tried to run at Noem during a press conference while screaming that I was a senator, I would be tackled and detained just as Padilla was. If you tried that, it would be the same result. We are living in a time where left-wing lunatics have tried to murder President Donald Trump (twice), multiple GOP members of Congress at a baseball field, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and former New York GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin. Any lunatic can yell that they are a senator to try and justify them rushing at a government official. The only difference is that Padilla wasn’t hauled off to jail the way you or I would be, because he was eventually properly identified as a senator.
PADILLA’S REMOVAL AT NOEM EVENT IS ‘PERFORMANCE ART’: JOE CONCHA
After years of justifying prosecuting Donald Trump under the logic that “no one is above the law,” what Democrats are saying is that they think Padilla should be above the law. Padilla should be able to cause a disturbance and pose a potential threat toward Noem, and her security should do nothing about it because they should know, intrinsically, that he is a senator. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Rep. LaMonica McIver (NJ) should be able to trespass and shove federal agents because they are Democrats, while anyone else would be hauled off to federal prison without a second thought for committing the same acts. Democrats think Republicans — and you — should not be above the law, but that the law is beneath them.
If Democrats have taught us anything with the relentless prosecutions of Trump, it is that “no one is above the law.” That includes senators throwing tantrums and trying to storm press conferences. Padilla was treated exactly as any of the rest of us would have been in the same scenario, and Democrats are right that we should expect politicians to receive no special treatment.