‘I Have No Words’: Andy Kim Decries ‘Shamefulness’ Of Padilla’s Removal From Noem’s DHS Briefing

During remarks on the Senate floor Thursday, Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) spoke about the removal of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) from a DHS briefing.

Transcript

00:00I have no words to describe just the absurdity of this moment and the dangers to our country

00:16and our union. For us to be able to stand here on the floor of the Senate in this chamber that

00:25many such important decisions have been made in a place of deliberation is not only in this room

00:32that we as senators should be able to voice the concerns that we have about the direction of our

00:39country and the problems that our nation faces, that we get to be sworn in as United States senators,

00:46that we try to do our best, that we are U.S. senators, that United States senators, that we

00:51represent this entire nation as a body. And the idea that just as I just saw the video,

00:59one of my colleagues here thrown to the floor, handcuffed, humiliated, it is not a humiliation

01:08of that individual senator, it is a humiliation of this body. The shamefulness by which that was

01:17perpetrated, that secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, shame upon those that instigated

01:28this, that followed through on this. It is something that all of us collectively need to stand against.

01:39This isn't about partisanship. It's about what does this institution, what does this body mean,

01:45and whether or not our words and our actions, as dictated by our oath that we swear to the Constitution

01:54of Article I as well, that instead lays out what our job is, that that is very much under threat right now.

02:04And I feel for my colleague. I don't know what is happening right now. I hope that we are able to

02:12get greater clarity about that. But what we see and what we saw in that video transpire. I hope that

02:20is something that every American in this country sees. That they see the actions that have taken place.

02:29And as someone who has worked in other nations, I worked in diplomacy and national security.

02:35I worked in nations with authoritarian leadership. I never thought I would see anything like this

02:40here at home. Transpire here in the way that we saw it unfold.

02:49Again, the humiliation befalls our body as a whole. Now the question is, what will the Senate do to

02:58stand up for ourselves? And that is something that I hope every single senator is thinking about right

03:04now. This is not a time to put your finger up in the air and figure out which way the wind is blowing.

03:13Try to think through what type of reaction might come from the White House if we speak out against

03:19this. This is a time for us to stand up together and stand up for each other and for this institution.

03:27And not just right now, it's about what credibility do we have as a body going forward.

03:33And I know, I get it, I'm new here.

03:36I'm one of the newer members here.

03:38I came here, I wanted to serve in this body because of what it stood for.

03:44I wanted to serve in this institution because

03:48I believe that this is an institution of incredible honor, integrity, and even at this

03:56challenging moment in this country's history, we need this body to be able to come together.

04:02So I call on all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to condemn this action,

04:09to stand united with one voice, standing up for ourselves. Otherwise, we will just cast ourselves

04:17to the margins of irrelevance in this nation right now. What point is it for us to stand up and show up

04:25to work every day if this is the kind of treatment that can befall any of us in this day right now in

04:32this country? I am outraged, and I hope others are too. This is not a time to be silent.

04:39This is a time for us to be united and show the rest of the country what this institution means.

04:45Otherwise, we might as well go home. I, for one, want to fight for my colleague, fight for each other,

04:54fight for the Senate, and fight for our democracy. With that, I'll yield back.

05:01Mr. President.