Brian Schatz Sends Clear Warning About Alex Padilla’s Removal From DHS Briefing: ’The Stuff Of Dictatorships’

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During remarks on the floor on Thursday, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) spoke about Sen. Alex Padilla's (D-CA) forced removal from a DHS press briefing.

Transcript

00:00President. Senator from Hawaii. You know, I've given a lot of speeches on this floor and this

00:05is the least prepared but the most clear I will ever be. This is the stuff of dictatorships.

00:11It is actually happening. A United States Senator was manhandled, shoved to the ground and cuffed.

00:23He identified himself. I'm Senator Alex Padilla. That should be enough. That should be enough.

00:31A United States Senator who is, by the way, protected by the Speech and Debate Clause of the Constitution of the United States

00:37and a specific statute that allows him to oversee immigration facilities.

00:44And he says, I'm a Senator and I have a question. And to Chris Murphy's point, they said, well, he was being disrespectful.

00:49Being disrespectful is legal. Being disrespectful is American.

00:59Being disruptive is okay if it's just using your words and not your body.

01:06This is the stuff of dictatorships and the thing that is making me most terrified

01:10is I see zero Republicans except for the presiding officer in this chamber.

01:16However, and I understand, if it's not a member of your own party, you want some context.

01:23There is no context that justifies this action.

01:30Alex Padilla is not required to be impeccable in every single way

01:34in order to exercise his responsibilities as an American

01:37and as one of the two that represents California in the United States Senate.

01:42This is the stuff of dictatorships.

01:50One of the officers who throws him to the ground,

01:53as he's clearly complying,

01:55cuffs him face down on the carpet.

01:58And they say, there's no recording in here.

02:00It's a damn press conference.

02:02It's for recording.

02:04They didn't want to hear his speaking.

02:06And if the internet is, got it accurately,

02:11the secretary was there and delivering her remarks

02:15within earshot the whole time.

02:18She has command authority over those agents

02:21who are arresting a leader in the legislative branch.

02:27This is not some thing on the internet for us to argue about.

02:30We all know what we saw.

02:32We all know what we saw.

02:39I remain hopeful that Leader Thune and other Republicans

02:43can walk us back from the brink.

02:46But I am not so sure anymore.

02:50So as Trump's Department of Homeland Security raises the stakes

02:55and continues with a series of provocations

02:59to justify increasingly authoritarian actions,

03:03we have two obligations.

03:05One is to establish that as a legislative branch,

03:08we are not going to stand for this.

03:10And the other is,

03:11those people who are peacefully protesting,

03:14be very disciplined this weekend.

03:19Be very peaceful this weekend.

03:22If we are going to win,

03:24we need to maintain the high ground.

03:26And I don't mean we blue, we Democrats.

03:29I mean we Americans who believe in this system of government.

03:33I have never, ever, other than January 6th,

03:36been so outraged at the conduct of an administration.

03:42I yield the floor.

03:43So

03:51I yield the floor.

03:52I yield the floor.

03:54So

03:58I yield the floor.

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