** DNC Chair Ken Martin Statement on Assault of Senator Alex Padilla
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In response to the assault of Senator Alex Padilla, the first Latino elected to the U.S. Senate from California, at a Department of Homeland Security press briefing today, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:
“This assault on U.S. Senator Alex Padilla has sent a violent message to all of America: If you dissent against Donald Trump and openly disagree with the government, then you are not safe in our country. It doesn’t matter if you are a duly elected official — if you ask questions, if you stand up to Trump and Kristi Noem’s abuse of power, then government thugs will come after you. Make no mistake: This horrifying escalation of violence is straight out of an authoritarian playbook. Trump is a weak man, yet he’s desperate to look strong as more Americans become enraged by the chaos he’s inciting in California. His dangerous approach to immigration enforcement stokes fear, profiles Black and Brown communities, rips families apart, and sows violence.
“Trump is out of control. He’s now using federal law enforcement to silence those who are exercising their rights. This has nothing to do with law and order — it’s a disgusting abuse of power.”
WATCH ([link removed]) : In an unprecedented move, federal law enforcement forcibly removed Senator Alex Padilla during a press briefing for asking questions about Donald Trump and Kristi Noem’s abuse of power.
Meredith Lee Hill, Politico ([link removed]) : “‘I’m Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary.’
“FBI agent and others proceed to drag him out of the room”
Sam Stein, The xxxxxx ([link removed]) : “[T]his is from Padilla’s staff, it’s of them cuffing the Senator out in the hall”
John Bresnahan, Punchbowl ([link removed]) : “Never seen a US senator treated like this. Wow.
“Yes, he interrupted Noem’s presser but that’s a US senator”
Trump bypassed the authority of a sitting governor — the first time in about 60 years that a president has done so — and sent National Guard troops to suppress protests in California.
Washington Post ([link removed]) : “President Donald Trump’s order to deploy 2,000 California National Guard troops to Los Angeles appears unprecedented, relying on an unorthodox use of a law aimed at quelling serious domestic unrest or an attack on the United States by a foreign power, some legal experts said Sunday.
“It marks the first time in about 60 years that an American president has taken such action without a governor’s consent. Furthermore, his executive order authorizes the Pentagon to dispatch military personnel domestically to enable federal functions and protect government property — a chilling sign, the experts said, that Trump is prepared to send troops into other cities in response to protests.”
Politico ([link removed]) : “California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Donald Trump’s threats against him and other Democrats following the president’s unilateral deployment of National Guard troops to the Los Angeles area carried all the markings of authoritarianism. …
“Trump and his border czar have targeted Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass by name with threats of arrests — and other ominous unspecified acts to be carried out by the federal government if the two don’t fall in line. …
“California on Monday sued the Trump administration for authorizing the deployment against their will. The president and aides portrayed the move as just the start of potentially escalated action, including sending hundreds of U.S. Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton.”
REMINDER: Trump has suggested using the military to suppress political speech before.
NPR ([link removed]) : “Former Pentagon chief Esper says Trump asked about shooting protesters”
“Former Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said President Donald Trump inquired about shooting protesters amid the unrest that took place after George Floyd’s murder in 2020. …
“Esper said he stayed in the administration because he worried that if he left, the president would more easily implement some of his ‘dangerous ideas.’ …
“Esper said he and other top officials were caught off guard by Trump’s reaction to the unrest in the summer of 2020.”
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