Alex Padilla Rebukes JD Vance for Calling Him ‘Jose’ After Arrest: ‘He Knows My Name’
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) blasted Vice President JD Vance for referring to him as “Jose Padilla” — a convicted terrorist serving time in prison — saying it shows how “petty and unserious” the current administration is.
Padilla joined MSNBC’s The Weekend on Saturday where he responded to not only Vance’s reference to him, but also the vice president doubling down in a followup statement. Padilla has been at the center of heated debates ever since he was brought to the ground and detained in handcuffs by Secret Service and FBI agents during a press conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles. Padilla said he was only trying to ask a question. He was escorted to the press conference and identified himself.
While in Los Angeles, Vance referenced Padilla, but called him “Jose Padilla” while speaking to press.
“Well, I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question. But unfortunately, I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn’t the theater. And that’s all it is, you know. I think everybody realizes that’s what this is, it’s pure political theater,” he said.
“He knows my name. He knows my name,” Padilla said on Saturday. “Look, sadly, it’s just an indicator of how petty and unserious this administration is. But he’s the vice president of the United States. You think he’d take the situation in Los Angeles more seriously. You know, you think maybe he’d take a moment to talk to some of the families who have been impacted, who have been terrorized.”
Padilla argued there are far more pressing issues in California Vance could be commenting on, like rebuilding efforts after the Palisades fires and pressure on workplaces due to current ICE raids.
“We’ve got a lot of important work to do but this is how the vice president chooses to act and that says a lot,” the senator said.
Padilla was asked about another comment by a Vance spokesperson made after his “Jose Padilla” remark. The spokesperson told CNN that the vice president “must have mixed up two people who have broken the law.” A real Jose Padilla was convicted on charges of aiding terrorists and much more.
“I didn’t break any laws,” Padilla simply said in response to Vance’s spokesperson.
Watch above via MSNBC.
