As Townhall has been covering, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) was dealt with at a presser put on by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday, given that he interrupted and even tried to rush the podium. As a result, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), although he made clear that that is for the Senate to deal with, thinks Padilla should be censured for behavior in which he was behaving so "wildly inappropriately." Padilla's fellow Democrats, meanwhile, have flocked to support the senator, including Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, who made quite the post of just side-by-side images.
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) June 12, 2025
The post shows Padilla being dealt with by agents, next to a picture of police officers putting hands on a now late Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) during a Civil Rights protest in 1961.
It's particularly rich that Whitehouse would be posting about race, given how he came under fire in June 2021 for belonging to an all-white beach club. The people who run the place were "still working on that," Whitehouse offered at the time when it comes to minority members. "It’s a long tradition in Rhode Island and there are many of them and I think we just need to work our way through the issues," Whitehouse also said to defend the existence of such clubs.
Many users took to pointing out such a membership in the 1,700 replies such a post received, as well as in the quoted reposts.
That reminds me — how is your whites-only beach club doing?
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) June 13, 2025
The guy who belongs to white-only clubs has thoughts ... https://t.co/RcwbYb4k0r
— The🐰FOO (@PolitiBunny) June 13, 2025
Show a photo of a black guy at your beach club who is not employed there https://t.co/qwTKLGWSqD
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) June 13, 2025
Sit this one out, @SenWhitehouse. https://t.co/DzTLEpXuqN pic.twitter.com/xKcnbdfitO
— Harrison Fields (@HFields47) June 13, 2025
Still others pointed out other overall issues with Padilla's behavior and Whitehouse's defense of it with such a post.
Dumbest senator contest just got a lot tougher https://t.co/ICAHTzPdj8
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) June 13, 2025
Are you insane? https://t.co/wmB3FkFgcg
— Lawrence Jones III (@LawrenceBJones3) June 13, 2025
You are insufferable. Padilla could have been killed by friendly fire by moving so aggressively towards a cabinet member. But you don’t care. You will do whatever it takes to defeat the will of the American people. Like communists do.
— The Fall Of Rome (@LaCadutaDiRoma) June 12, 2025
When it comes to the suggestion from Matthew Foldi about the the "Dumbest senator contest," Whitehouse had other posts about the situation earlier in the day.
"Republicans will claim Padilla — one of the kindest people I know — is a menacing man who stormed the briefing with smoke coming out of his ears," Whitehouse began his post with. "But the video doesn't lie," he continued. It's worth reminding that Johnson himself had pointed to video of the matter and offered his thoughts that "the American people can draw their own conclusions."
"He didn’t lunge. He announced himself. He just wanted answers," Whitehouse's post then continued to claim. Padilla could and should have conducted himself in a much more safe and efficient manner, though, especially via his Senate pin or ID. He was also already there to meet with Noem and although he was thrown out, he was still was able to meet with her, where they exchanged phone numbers.
Republicans will claim Padilla — one of the kindest people I know — is a menacing man who stormed the briefing with smoke coming out of his ears.
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) June 12, 2025
But the video doesn't lie.
He didn’t lunge. He announced himself. He just wanted answers.
Whitehouse actually had put out a post before that, showing partial footage of the situation. But, he also likened federal agents to the Nazis' paramilitary organization in such a post.
"What’s next, brown shirts?" Whitehouse asked. If Democrats didn't have comparisons to Nazis, what would they have?
What’s next, brown shirts?
— Sheldon Whitehouse (@SenWhitehouse) June 12, 2025
What do Republican colleagues have to say? At long last, colleagues, have you no sense of decency?pic.twitter.com/Y5sQcXpvdU
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