Editor,
Your front-page coverage of U.S. Sen. Padilla’s removal from Secretary Noem’s press conference was deeply disappointing. Both articles omitted key facts from the full video of the incident and wrongly portrayed Padilla as a victim, when in fact his behavior was disruptive and inappropriate.
Contrary to what was reported, Padilla did not simply state, “I am Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary.” The full video shows him pushing past security and the front row, heckling Noem, and shouting over her in the middle of her presentation.
The video clearly shows officers attempting to escort Padilla out by his arm — until he escalated the incident by turning back into them. CBS’s Carter Evans, who was in the room, noted that Padilla only identified himself after he was being removed. And CNN’s Josh Campbell stated, “At that point, we’re taking that person out against their will.”
Anyone defending his actions should watch the entire video. Why didn’t he identify himself beforehand? Why wasn’t he wearing his Senate identification pin? If he wanted answers, he could have requested a meeting or called for testimony — appropriate and professional channels.
Instead, this was an ill-advised and potentially dangerous PR stunt — now being used by local politicians like state Sen. Josh Becker to raise campaign money. Becker, who brings security to his own “Java with Josh” events, should be condemning this behavior — not excusing it.
Responsible journalism requires full context. Your readers and Becker’s constituents deserve that much.
Grace Xuereb
Burlingame
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(4) comments
Thank you for correcting the record which most of the liberal media side stepped.
Thanks for your letter, Ms. Xuereb. The beauty of the new media landscape is that there was plenty of video of Padilla’s stunt, along with commentary, even from CNN experts, which showed Padilla’s publicity stunt was just that, orchestrated to achieve recognition. Although I think I can safely say just about everyone still would not be able to pick Padilla in a lineup. There’s also reporting that Padilla had been lambasted by his followers for not doing anything to provide aid and comfort to criminals so Padilla was under pressure to dream up a stunt. Well folks got their wish. Now methinks Padilla wishes these folks would open their wallets and send him more money. Perhaps Padilla can take some of the money and take acting lessons on how to squeeze out tears during his press conferences.
Sen. Padilla was not wearing a suit nor his pin! He looked like a regular guy. On face value he could have been a looney tune. Padilla knows what the decorum is for speaking at public events. He is a seasoned politician and ` should have known better. After the failed attempts to assassinate President Trump, security is very tight in political circles. What happened is unfortunate, but I believe that Sen. Padilla should have known better.
The high political temperature on all sides and the recent assassinations, or attempts, on legislators in Minnesota support an abundance of caution when it comes to incidents like this. Security for Noem reacted appropriately when a man rushed the stage shouting questions. Even after he identified himself- the Minnesota shooter also impersonated a police officer.
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