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Rep. Jared Golden has criticized Sen. Alex Padilla and effectively blamed him for his forceful detention at Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s recent press briefing. Golden said: “I don’t think politics as theater is what our job is here.” He then mischaracterized Padilla’s behavior saying: “rushing on a [cabinet] secretary is not really the job of an elected official.”
I’m glad that Padilla “took the stage” confronting Noem on what I see as the administration’s egregious behavior including the deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles. It’s past time to act up.
Padilla is on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s panel on immigration, citizenship, and border safety. His legislative oversight responsibilities on immigration enforcement are clear. He reports little or no response to earlier contact efforts.
Padilla moved forward when Noem said efforts would increase to “liberate the city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into the city.” Who is engaging in theater and where is Golden’s balanced criticism of Secretary Noem?
Secretary Noem has recently starred as a border control agent wearing a jacket and hat and as an ICE agent dressed in full tactical gear (inappropriately pointing an assault weapon at the agent next to her). Her best performance may be playing herself posing in front of prisoners at the El Salvador Terrorism Confinement Center.
When it comes to theater, Sen. Padilla is just not in her league.
Ronald Bailyn
Cape Elizabeth