Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass — accused of being out of touch and slow to action during the recent fires — took the gloves off today in response to the assault on California U.S. Senator Alex Padilla by members of Trump Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem‘s security detail earlier in the day.
“The just shoved and cuffed a sitting U.S. Senator,” said Bass emphatically. “How could you say that you did not know who he was? We see the video tape. We see him saying who he was. But how do you not recognize one of two senators in our state?”
She also alluded to what many, including Governor Gavin Newsom, have characterized as Noem’s ICE agent cosplay and photo-op appearances during raids.
“I was listening to the words of the secretary at her press conference and she described L.A. as a ‘war zone,’” began Bass. “It is my understanding that she arrived last night, was here for a few hours today, and came to that conclusion. There’s no one up here [onstage] who sees Los Angeles like that. This is isolated to a few blocks in a city that is over 500 square miles. And out of those 500 square miles, the protests and especially the protests that devolved into vandalism, represents about half a square mile.”
She continued, “So the notion that this is happening all over our city, the notion that this city is not governable, the notion that we need the military to intervene…To characterize what is going on in our city as a city of mayhem is just an outright lie. I’m not going to call it an untruth. I’m not going to sugar coat it. I’m going to call it for what it is, which is a lie.”
Bass, who was in the U.S. House of Representatives for a dozen years before becoming mayor, then added a more personal jab.
“I served with the secretary for probably about 10 years in congress, and madam secretary, I do not recognize you anymore. I do not know Kristi Noem that I served with for 10 years.”
Bass then ended on an unusually strident (for her) tone.
“No matter what happens out of the White House,” she said at hone point, “we will always uphold and reflect what Los Angeles and the United States are truly about: freedom, tolerance and, for God’s sake, our Constitution.”
