DHS fires back after Elizabeth Warren calls for Kristi Noem's resignation over Alex Padilla altercation

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The Department of Homeland Security is firing back after Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) publicly demanded the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over the treatment of Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) at a press conference in Los Angeles.

Padilla, who was briefly detained after interrupting Noem during an address on ongoing immigration-related unrest, has become a flashpoint in the escalating political tensions between Democratic lawmakers and the Donald Trump-appointed DHS chief.

Warren, appearing on MSNBC’s 'All In with Chris Hayes', said, “It’s time for Republican Senators to speak up. We need an independent investigation of this. It’s time for Kristi Noem to resign. She needs to resign." 

DHS official fires back after Elizabeth Warren demands Kristi Noem's resignation over Alex Padilla altercation

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, issued a strong rebuttal on Friday, June 13, accusing Senator Elizabeth Warren of attempting to “revise history” and defending the federal agents involved. 

"Everything is on camera—Warren is trying to revise history on Senator Padilla’s embarrassing conduct, but Americans can see with their own eyes,” McLaughlin stated, as reported by Fox News. 

In an X (formerly Twitter) post, McLaughlin agreed with Stephen A Smith's remarks on the incident, and wrote, "Yep @stephenasmith is right. Padilla tried to manufacture a viral moment and it’s embarrassing & disrespectful."

She added, "There’s no excuse for busting into a press conference and interrupting it —Had Senator Padilla asked for a meeting, @Sec_Noem would have happily obliged, which she graciously did for 15 minutes after the press conference."

"Padilla entered a high-security federal facility under false pretenses and crashed an invite-only press conference as law enforcement are working around the clock to calm violent riots. Shameful," McLaughlin stated. 

Sharing California Governor Gavin Newsom's post on the incident, McLaughlin had written, "Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem."

"Mr Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands. @SecretService thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately. Secretary Noem met with Senator Padilla after and held a 15 minute meeting," she asserted. 

According to officials, Padilla was not wearing his Senate-issued security pin and did not follow any formal protocol when approaching the podium. 

Alex Padilla and Kristi Noem meet privately following the press conference debacle

After the tense moment, Alex Padilla and Kristi Noem met behind closed doors in a brief exchange described as “cordial and beneficial” by the secretary and “civil” by Padilla’s team. The two reportedly exchanged phone numbers but appeared to walk away from the discussion with little resolved.

According to Edgar D Rodriguez, deputy communications director for Padilla, “The Senator met with Secretary Noem this afternoon. He raised concerns with the deployment of military forces and the needless escalation over the last week, among other issues. And he voiced his frustration with the continued lack of response from this administration.”

“It was a civil, brief meeting, but the Secretary did not provide any meaningful answers. The Senator was simply trying to do his job and seek answers for the people he represents in California,” Rodriguez added in an X post.

Several Democrats, including California Senator Adam Schiff and California Representative Eric Swalwell, have urged Noem to resign in the wake of the controversy.

On the other side of the aisle, Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski criticized how the situation was managed, saying, "I've seen that one clip. It's horrible. It is shocking at every level. It's not the America I know."

Even outside the political sphere, voices like sports commentator Smith weighed in. On his show, the journalist asked Padilla, “You couldn’t wait?” as he criticized the senator's "out of control" behavior at the press conference.