Trump Administration Downplays Alex Padilla Incident With Misleading Characterizations

The senator is clearly heard giving his name as "Sen. Alex Padilla" at a distance of just a few feet away.

The administration of President Donald Trump swiftly sought to downplay a Thursday incident in which Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was roughly pinned to the ground and briefly handcuffed during a press conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles.

Noem claimed that Padilla did not identify himself as he tried to ask her a question, even though he can clearly be heard saying his name near the start of the incident.

The White House similarly characterized Padilla’s disruption as an attention-seeking move, saying in a statement that the senator “lunged” toward Noem. He does not appear to have done so.

“Padilla embarrassed himself and his constituents with this immature, theater-kid stunt,” the White House said.

Video of the interaction, however, shows Padilla stepping to the front of the press conference as she spoke about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in some of the communities Padilla represents. He said later that he was initially there to watch the press conference “peacefully,” but that at one point, he had a question and wanted to demand an answer.