'I Call That Authoritarianism': Delia Ramirez Plays Clip Of Senator Alex Padilla's Arrest At DHS Briefing

Forbes Breaking News

During a House Oversight Committee hearing on Thursday, Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) spoke about the arrest of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) at a DHS hearing.

Transcript

00:00I want to start by acknowledging Governor Pritzker from our great state of Illinois

00:04and thank him for coming before the committee, especially given the deeply unserious nature

00:09of this hearing.

00:10I want to start by asking Governor Pritzker a few questions.

00:14Governor, you have said that actions that bring all branches of government to stand

00:18in respect of one another underpin the guardrails of democracy.

00:22Is it your assessment that this administration's actions reflect the commitment to stand in

00:27respect of all branches of government or honor the guardrails of our democracy?

00:33Thank you very much, Congresswoman, and it's good to see you.

00:37This administration has ignored court orders.

00:40This administration has ignored the laws that have been passed by the Congress.

00:45This administration is, in many ways, telling its agencies not to follow what the laws and

00:53the regulations that have been on the books.

00:55And this administration has been going after people individually and as groups that they

01:02believe are opponents of theirs, political opponents of theirs.

01:06That is not the way that a president ought to operate.

01:09We ought to have a president who follows the rule of law and doesn't break it.

01:14Thank you, Governor.

01:15I agree with you.

01:16In your 2025 budget address, you noted that our state, the state of Illinois, is among the

01:21the best in the nation for workforce talent, clean energy, educational and scientific institutions,

01:27and more.

01:28I couldn't agree with you more.

01:29Our economy is over $1.1 trillion, the fifth largest in the U.S. and the 18th largest in

01:37the world.

01:39And I understand that we are one of only nine states, including New York and Minnesota, whose

01:44taxpayers contribute more to the federal government than they receive.

01:50So I just want to make sure I put that to the record.

01:52This is who we're putting here at a hearing.

01:55Governor, earlier this year you noted that the authoritarian playbook is laid bare here.

02:00They point to a group of people who don't look like you and then they tell you to blame

02:05them for your problems.

02:07Governor Pritzker, do you believe that the Trump administration is using the authoritarian

02:11playbook, particularly as it relates to immigrant communities across the country?

02:17It's clear when you look at every action that they've taken with regard to immigration

02:21since they've taken office, including going in and attacking our communities in the state

02:27of Illinois.

02:28I think in the first week in office, Tom Homan bringing Dr. Phil with him unseriously and then

02:35bringing the very serious ICE officials in to break down doors, to scare communities,

02:41to keep people from going to work and so on.

02:45It is clear that they are targeting communities of people who don't look like them and going

02:50after people that they think are opponents of theirs or-

02:54Including United States senators, Governor.

02:56Including, thank you, and Alex Padilla.

02:59And by the way, I want to say to all of you, all of you on both sides, but particularly those

03:04on the Republican side, that I cannot believe the disrespect that was shown to a United States

03:10senator who was thrown down, handcuffed, and not allowed to ask a question of our Secretary

03:18of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem.

03:20That seems completely irrational.

03:22Governor, I agree with you.

03:25Because I have a limited time, I actually want to show the footage, because I think what

03:27you're saying has to be seen here.

03:29I'm going to ask now that we play a clip of Senator Padilla being wrongfully arrested

03:34while we're in this hearing.

03:36Go ahead and play it.

03:42A United States senator.

03:44I want to make sure that people see-

03:45He's on your back.

03:46He's on my hands.

03:47Go ahead.

03:48All right.

03:49All right.

03:50Cool.

03:51Lay flat.

03:52Lay flat.

03:53Other hand, sir.

03:54Other hand.

03:55They don't want you recording so that you don't see how they violate due process repeatedly.

04:12I want to make sure that you see that footage.

04:15This is a United States senator asking a question of Secretary Noem, and in return he is pulled

04:23from the press conference, shoved down to the floor, slammed to the ground with handcuffs,

04:30arrested for doing his job of oversight.

04:34So let me go ahead and make sure that I say this clear, because I serve in Homeland Security

04:37and I can tell you for a fact, they are weaponizing the government and the military against U.S. citizens

04:44to exert control and suppress dissent.

04:46I call that authoritarianism.

04:49We've seen it before.

04:50Here's the point.

04:51Terror.

04:52That's what they're doing here.

04:54This hearing is a witch hunt against the governors that run successful cities, and we need to

05:00call it what it is.

05:01What we need here right now is Secretary Noem answering questions and oversight on why the

05:06hell she thinks that what happened to the senator is acceptable.

05:10With that, I yield back.

05:11General, that yields back.

05:13Hopefully you'll get to see the beginning of that tape when he approached the podium where

05:19the secretary was.

05:20You hadn't seen that yet.

05:21To ask a question.

05:22Mr. Chairman, on the full statement of the committee on the Democratic side, Senator Padilla is currently

05:28in Los Angeles exercising his duty to perform congressional oversight.

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