CHC asks Johnson, Thune to ‘uphold the dignity' of Congress after Padilla handcuffing
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) is calling on Republican leadership to 'uphold the dignity and authority of Congress' after Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was handcuffed when interjecting at a press conference held by Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem on Friday.
Padilla was blocked by security as he advanced toward the front of the room, identifying himself and saying he had a question. He was then pushed out of the room, forced to the ground and handcuffed.
The incident is sparking concern among Democrats who see his treatment as a crackdown on the party's pushback on the administration.
More than 180 Democrats signed onto a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) calling the episode 'shocking and deeply troubling mistreatment.'
'Senator Padilla clearly identified himself and was acting within his rights as a Member of Congress. The use of force against a sitting senator—in a federal building, during official business—is a grave breach of protocol. It is also a potential violation of separation of powers and raises alarming questions about the conduct of federal law enforcement agencies, the coordination of protective services, and the administration's posture toward congressional oversight,' the lawmakers wrote in the letter spearheaded by the CHC.
'This unprecedented incident is not simply an affront to security protocol—it is a constitutional issue—as these actions may constitute an assault on a sitting senator. If members of the United States Senate can be physically restrained for seeking answers from executive officials, it sets a dangerous precedent for the independence of the legislative branch.'
Thune's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Johnson's office pointed to earlier remarks from the Speaker, including his backing censuring Padilla over the move.
'A sitting member of Congress should not act like that. It is beneath a member of Congress. It is beneath a U.S. Senator. They're supposed to lead by example. And that is not a good example. We have to turn the temperature down in this country and not escalate it. The Democrat Party is on the wrong side. They are defending lawbreakers and now they are acting like lawbreakers themselves,' Johnson said last week.
Pressed on whether Padilla should face consequences, Johnson initially demurred — 'it's not my decision to make, I'm not in that chamber' — before endorsing censure for the California Democrat.
'I think that that behavior at a minimum rises to the level of a censure,' Johnson told reporters. 'I think there needs to be a message sent by the body as a whole that that is not what we're going to do, that's not what we're going to act.'
'We're not going to have branches fighting physically and having senators charging Cabinet secretaries,' he added. 'We got to do better and I hope that we will.'
Thune said he plans to 'gather all the relevant information' about what happened.
'We want to get the full scope of what happened and do what we would do in any incident like this involving a senator and try to gather all the relevant information,' Thune said.
Chair Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) last week led a march to Johnson's office shortly after Padilla was handcuffed.
'I feel this amounts to an assault, a felony, and we want a full and complete investigation of this matter immediately,' Espaillat said at the time.
'We have concerns, grave concerns, when the Speaker of the House refers to a sitting member of the US Senate who simply tried to exercise his first amendment rights as acting like a thug.'
'We feel very strongly that there is an intimidation campaign to try to silence dissent, and that's very dangerous,' he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Another candidate is running against Finstad in the 1st Congressional District
Jun. 16—ROCHESTER — Oliver Morlan, a Zumbro Falls native and member of a family-owned business, announced that he is running for Congress in the First Congressional District as an independent candidate. The seat is currently held by Rep. Brad Finstad, a Republican. "I'm running to increase independent representation," Morlan said. "I'm trying to inspire that not just here in the district, but across Minnesota. I just feel that the country is in need of desperate change." A 2018 graduate of Century High School and self-described lifelong musician, Morlan, 25, said there is public impatience with how Congress is conducting its business and an appetite for holding the body "fiscally and ethically responsible." He said both parties are guilty of passing misleading spending and budget bills that "run up the deficit, cause massive inflation and are too big to fully scrutinize." Jake Johnson, a longtime teacher with Rochester Public Schools, is running for the DFL endorsement to challenge Finstad for his congressional seat. Finstad was elected to Congress in a 2022 special election and has since been re-elected to two two-year terms in the GOP-leaning district. Given the dominance of the two-party system, independent and minor-party candidates have a poor track record, historically speaking, of winning elections. Often lacking the fundraising prowess and infrastructure of the major parties, they struggle to get the name recognition necessary for victory. There are currently no independent members serving in the House of Representatives. With little political experience, Morlan acknowledged that he was "running against all odds" and that he would be relying on his "own resources" and a "lot of community support" to compete. Still, he argues that the environment was favorable to an outsider and pointed to the criticism directed at Finstad for failing to hold in-person town hall meetings. "I think that kind of non-representation might be the key factor here," Morlan said. Morlan said he plays a leading role as a trainer for D&M Industrial Cleaners, a commercial cleaning business that serves clients across southeastern Minnesota. As a musician, Morlan worked a short stint as a teacher at Pure Rock Studios in Rochester. Morlan said he supported term limits and was a tax-cut advocate, but would vote against President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful" bill that would extend the tax cuts passed in 2017 because "it is just too big." "The way this country was set up was so that regular people from any background could throw their hat in the race and see if they could make change in this country," Morlan said. "And I feel that we've kind of gotten away from that in more recent times."
New York Times
13 minutes ago
- New York Times
Many Hoped Senate Republicans Would Save Clean Energy. They Mostly Didn't.
Climate advocates, Democrats, and even some House Republicans who last month had supported a tax package that gutted federal support for clean energy were hoping the Senate would make fixes to protect energy manufacturing and jobs. But on Monday, Senate Republicans disappointed them, proposing to quickly end most tax breaks for wind and solar power, electric vehicles and other clean energy. Draft legislation released by the Senate Finance Committee would terminate or scale back most of the major tax incentives for clean energy contained in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the Biden administration's signature climate law. The plan would eliminate within six months a $7,500 consumer tax credit for purchases of electric vehicles as well as home energy rebates for things like electric heat pumps and induction stoves. A tax credit for homeowners who install solar panels on rooftops would end within 180 days. A subsidy for making hydrogen fuels would expire this year. Federal tax credits for wind and solar power, which have been in place for decades but were made more lucrative under the Inflation Reduction Act, would be rapidly phased out. Wind and solar companies could qualify for the full tax break only if they began construction in the next six months. They would receive 60 percent of the tax break if they began construction in 2026, and 20 percent of the tax credit if they began construction in 2027. Projects built after that would get nothing. That's a slightly longer runway for renewable energy than is in the House version of the bill, which would have ended those tax breaks almost immediately. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Post
13 minutes ago
- New York Post
GOP rep calls for ‘around-the-clock' security for congressional lawmakers using public funds after Minnesota shootings
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) expressed deep concern Monday over 'growing threats' to congressional lawmakers in a letter asking for clarification over whether members can use their taxpayer-funded allowances to pay for personal security. Burchett's letter to the top Republican and Democrat on the House Committee on Administration – the panel which oversees the use of Members' Representational Allowances (MRAs) – comes days after a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband were gunned down by an assassin targeting politicians. 'We are deeply concerned about growing threats to the safety of elected officials and request the Committee on House Administration to clarify that Members' Representational Allowances (MRAs) may be used for around-the-clock security services,' Burchett wrote in his letter, obtained by The Post. 3 Burchett asked whether taxpayer-provided funds can be used to pay for 24/7 security for congressional reps. AP The average MRA provided to House lawmakers last year was about $1.9 million per representative – money provided to support 'official conduct and representational duties.' The Tennessee Republican notes that under congressional rules, it appears lawmakers are only allowed to use MRA money on security expenses 'when those services are provided at official, member-hosted district events, during the performance of official duties, or at district offices during business hours.' Burchett called the current interpretation of the rules for MRAs 'inadequate' in light of the Saturday shootings targeting former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and state Sen. John Hoffman, along with their spouses, and the 2017 assassination attempt against Senate Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) at a Congressional Baseball practice. 'Had these lawmakers served in Congress, they would not have been allowed to use MRA funds for personal protection, despite being targeted,' Burchett said of the shooting that killed Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the separate assassination attempt against Hoffman, which left him and his wife badly wounded. 3 Burchett noted that the slain Minnesota state lawmaker could not have used MRA money, had she been in Congress, to secure her home. Getty Images 'The reality is, Members of Congress are publicly identifiable at all times,' Burchett continued. 'Our addresses are posted online and the threats are constant.' 'While we are grateful for the efforts of local law enforcement, the unique risks associated with serving in Congress require security beyond what is currently available.' The congressman called on the House panel to take 'all necessary steps to expand the permissible use of Members' Representational Allowances to include personal security, excluding campaign-related activity.' 3 The killing of Melissa Hortman and the serious wounding of another Minnesota state lawmaker sent shockwaves through Congress. Steven Garcia 'Protecting elected officials from political violence is critical for effective representation and a functioning government,' Burchett argued. The 'manifesto' of suspected Minnesota political assassin Vance Boelter contained the names of as many as 70 people — largely lawmakers and abortion advocates — he may have sought to target, according to authorities. The chilling list reportedly included Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.). Boelter, 57, was captured in a rural area outside Minneapolis Sunday night.
