AOC Demands 'Full Investigation' Of Alex Padilla Being Forcibly Removed From DHS Briefing

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) responds to Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) being forcibly removed from a DHS briefing.

Transcript

00:00Congressman, can you give a reaction to Senator Padilla and that altercation with the DHS agents?

00:04I mean, I think we need to see this for what it is.

00:07There's two grave and extremely alarming elements to what just happened.

00:14First and foremost, a United States senator who identified himself as such,

00:19who sought a question pursuing his constitutional duty and ability to conduct oversight,

00:28to ask the Cabinet Secretary a question, was assaulted, thrown to the floor, and arrested.

00:35And then secondly, what is also deeply alarming is that the Department of Homeland Security,

00:42under Secretary Kristi Noem, has gone to the public and lied on record,

00:49saying that he did not identify himself when there is video evidence

00:53that they are being dishonest with the American people.

00:57There must be a retraction.

00:59We must have an investigation of what just happened.

01:01This is a deeply alarming escalation in the violence of the Trump administration.

01:07They have released chaos and unleashed chaos in the city of Los Angeles

01:13by violently raiding and ripping apart peaceful public spaces.

01:17And now they're tackling and they are arresting United States sitting members of Congress

01:23while going on the record and lying about what happened.

01:27This is an out-of-control agency and there must be consequences.

01:31Do you think that this sends a message not only to yourself but other lawmakers

01:35who want to go out and be able to ask questions to different secretaries?

01:39Of course, for an administration that has talked about free speech, the First Amendment,

01:45respect for the rule of law, we are seeing that they are threatening judges.

01:49They are arresting judges for people who do not rule in the way that they agree with.

01:55They have openly talked about punishing Supreme Court justices for not ruling in the way

02:02that they want them to rule.

02:05They are falsely and egregiously indicting members of Congress on baseless accusations.

02:14They are being incredibly reckless in what they're doing.

02:17And this is all coming down not to the facts, not to crime, not to the law,

02:23but to political intimidation.

02:25And we will not be intimidated.

02:27We will not be silenced.

02:28If they want to come in and arrest every member of Congress, they can come and get us.

02:33But at some point, the Republican Party and the Senate, the United States Republican Senate,

02:40needs to decide what is an impeachable offense.

02:43Because at a certain point, it will not be about Democrats and Republicans.

02:47They will start going after Republican senators who do not do what they want.

02:51So what kind of environment do we want here and here?

02:53According to Congressman Issa, things have already begun to smooth over between Christine Noem

02:58as well as Mr. Padilla.

02:59They've already exchanged phone numbers, and they've already said that the charges are not

03:04going to be filed whatsoever.

03:05So can you talk to this already that basically they've started communicating?

03:09I find it very interesting that the Secretary of Homeland Security somehow does not, is claiming

03:18to not recognize or know who the United States Senator for the state of California is when

03:24her express job is to be interacting with us all the time.

03:29She knows who I am.

03:31She better know who he is because she's been all up in the city of Los Angeles.

03:36And we're supposed to believe that she doesn't know who the two United States Senators for

03:40the state of California are?

03:42No.

03:44We have to go.

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