During a House committee hearing, Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky) told Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Florida) to “shut up” after the Florida representative repeatedly pressed the panel to subpoena Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after her security team forcibly removed Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) from her press briefing.

The tension arose following the news that Padilla had been forcibly removed from Noem’s press briefing by security. Padilla claimed he was at the briefing to get more information about the immigration raids occurring in Los Angeles.

“You insist on exaggerating,” said Padilla aloud, prompting security to approach him and forcibly remove him from the room.

Padilla spoke out following the incident.

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“I came to the press conference to hear what she had to say, to see if I could learn any new additional information,” said Padilla. “I was there peacefully. At one point, I had a question, so I began to ask a question. I was almost immediately forcibly removed from the room, I was forced to the ground and I was handcuffed. I was not arrested. I was not detained.”

“We will hold this administration accountable, and we’ll have more to say in the coming days,” added Padilla.

As the news broke, Frost pressed the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and repeatedly requested that the committee subpoena Noem over the ordeal.

After failed attempts by Comer to move on with the hearing, he eventually snapped at Frost.

“Shut up! Just shut up,” shouted Comer.

“No, you’re not going to tell me to shut up,” said Frost in response.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) also spoke out and attacked the Florida legislator.

“Democrats can’t follow the rules! Can’t follow the law,” said Greene.

“He’s a former Antifa member,” added Greene, referring to Frost.

Comer denied Frost’s request for Greene’s comments to be struck from the record. Greene later said she would revise her marks to note that Frost had been arrested in 2021 at a voters’ right march for what Frost claimed to be an “act of nonviolent resistance.”

A letter written by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, led by Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-Massachusetts) and Summer Lee (D-Pennsylvania), criticized the administration and called for Noem to testify before Congress following the incident involving Padilla.

“This shocking encounter adds to a litany of alarming moves by the Trump Administration to seize and abuse power, including by turning the military on the American people,” said the letter. “The Trump Administration has mobilized the military to the streets of an American city, and any other city could be next. The Trump Administration has violently tackled, kneeled on, and handcuffed a sitting U.S. senator, and any other American could be next.”

Congressional Republicans have mostly dismissed the incident involving Padilla.

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Kevin Maguire

Article by Kevin Maguire

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