Thom Tillis Reacts To Padilla Arrest, Says Both Sides 'Own Some Responsibility For What Happened'

During remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) spoke about the arrest of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) at a DHS press briefing.

Transcript

00:00Mr. President, the last thing I'm going to leave you with is, I sat on this floor yesterday

00:06while Senator Padilla was speaking.

00:10And I have to tell you that the events that occurred, and I'm saying this because now

00:16I hear about a dust-up in New York, folks, Alex Padilla I consider a friend, and I believe

00:26that he was very, very, his emotions were on at a 10 because of some of the things that

00:33he's seen occurring in terms of ICE detention, ICE raids.

00:37I agree and disagree with him on some of the policy, but folks, we've got to get to a point

00:43where elected officials have to take some responsibility for their actions.

00:47And we have press conferences here all the time.

00:52We have a daily, a weekly press conference out here with leadership.

00:55We've got a press room on the third floor.

00:58I wonder if we're actually saying it's okay for me to run out here and interrupt Senator

01:03Schumer while he's giving his opening statements to a presser to ask him a question.

01:08I think that that's inappropriate.

01:10I think it would be inappropriate to do it to my Democrat colleagues up in the press room

01:16on the third floor.

01:16I think it would be inappropriate for me to go out and do that out in the field.

01:20So I guess what I'm trying to say here is why don't both sides own up to the fact that

01:26they both own some responsibility for what happened there?

01:29Senator Padilla should have found a better way to elevate his concerns to the Secretary

01:34of Homeland Security rather than going in there and having that dust up.

01:39Having said that, there were clearly people in that building that knew he was a U.S. senator.

01:43So the minute he was removed from that situation in that briefing room, then they should have

01:50treated him with respect and allowed him to disperse.

01:53It was disgusting to me to see somebody wrestled to the floor.

01:56Anybody, but particularly a U.S. senator in this inter-federal building.

02:01So I would just say to those who are tempted now to think that they can act like they're

02:06off the hinge and they should interrupt a press conference or threaten police officials

02:11to arrest them to think twice.

02:13Step up and be leaders.

02:14If you've got a point, don't go try and trend on social media by getting in somebody's face.

02:22Make a point.

02:23You want to make a point, that's what you do.

02:25You want to make a difference, then come to the Senate floor and try to figure out how

02:28to get your policies through.

02:30That's how this place should work.

02:32Thank you, Mr. President.