Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said he would be against censuring Sen. Alex Padilla after the California Democrat tried to approach and question Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a press conference, which led to federal agents forcibly removing and handcuffing him.
“No, no, no. I’m not for censuring him. I think that’s crazy. I’m not for that at all,” Paul told NBC’s Kristen Welker on Sunday’s “Meet The Press.”
The Thursday altercation sparked varying reactions on Capitol Hill, with Democrats condemning federal agents for what they said was an unjust and unnecessary reaction, and Republicans arguing Padilla’s conduct was inappropriate.
The White House said Padilla “stormed” the press conference and “lunged” at Noem, while Democrats argued the senator was within his rights to question the Homeland Security secretary and was “manhandled” by law enforcement.
Paul said he believed the altercation could have ended “without the handcuffs,” but he said Padilla “rushed the stage,” adding he didn’t think the federal agents recognized the California senator.
“The other side to it is, can you rush a stage?” Paul said. “Can you rush into a press conference? And I think they honestly didn’t recognize him.”
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Thursday said he thought Padilla should be censured for his actions.
“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.”
The Los Angeles press conference Noem held on Thursday came amid widespread protests against the Trump administration’s deportation efforts and in reaction to President Trump’s mobilizing of the National Guard and Marines to protect federal property and personnel.
