Democratic Rep. Jared Golden is calling out members of his own party for turning public service into a political stunt show.
Golden, a congressman from Maine, slammed fellow Democrats Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey and Sen. Alex Padilla of California for what he described as blatant “politics as theater.”
Golden’s remarks came after Padilla caused a chaotic scene at a Department of Homeland Security press conference. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was speaking to reporters when Padilla stormed in, interrupted the event, and allegedly rushed toward Noem. Moments later, Padilla was tackled, handcuffed, and removed from the room by law enforcement.
“Storming into the FBI headquarters and trying to break up a press conference and rushing toward a cabinet member is not really the job of an elected official,” Golden said to Axios.
While Golden did admit that “it’s never good when a senator or member of Congress gets roughed up by law enforcement,” he made it clear he believed Padilla had crossed the line.
“I don’t think politics as theater is what our job is here,” he said.
DHS didn’t mince words either. In a statement posted to X, the department explained that Padilla had “interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself,” and added that he “lunged toward” Secretary Noem. According to DHS, Padilla had no visible Senate security pin on him and refused multiple orders to step back.
“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,” DHS stated. “Mr. Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands.”
DHS also noted that the Secret Service treated the situation as an active threat. “Officers believed Senator Padilla was an attacker and acted appropriately,” the department added, though eventually Padilla did identify himself as officers moved in on him.
The drama surrounding Padilla isn’t the only incident that drew Golden’s ire.
He also took aim at McIver, who is now facing serious legal consequences for her own theatrical display. In May, McIver allegedly stormed into a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. That stunt didn’t end with applause, it ended with an indictment.
A federal grand jury charged McIver with multiple offenses tied to the ICE facility incident. If convicted, she could face up to 17 years in federal prison.
Golden went on to suggest that their behavior reflects a dangerous shift in priorities inside the Democratic Party.
Instead of doing the hard, often unglamorous work of legislating and serving their constituents, Golden said some Democrats are more interested in creating viral moments, stirring outrage, and chasing headlines. And that, he warned, isn’t just unserious, it’s irresponsible.
“Where I come from, if you shove a police officer, you’re probably getting arrested,” he said.
Meanwhile, four migrants fled from the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, on Thursday evening after an apparent disturbance within the building, a senior Homeland Security official told Fox News.
“Additional law enforcement partners have been brought in to find these escapees, and a BOLO has been disseminated,” the official said.
Immigration attorney Mustafa Cetin reported that the delayed meals caused around 50 prisoners at the private institution to become upset, leading them to pull down a dormitory wall.
“It’s about the food, and some of the detainees were getting aggressive and it turned violent,” Cetin said.
He noted that his client indicated that the wall was “not very strong” and that inmates were hanging bedsheets in what may have been an escape attempt. The customer additionally stated that he smelled gas during the event.