A series of events shocked Americans — and especially Californians — this month with the deployment of California National Guard troops to Los Angeles without the governor’s approval, the aggressive removal of California Sen. Alex Padilla from a press conference, the national No Kings protests on June 14 coinciding with President Trump’s military parade and the assassination of Minnesota Rep. Mellissa Hortman and her husband. Though the last two weeks have been chaotic, Congressman Mike Thompson said he is dedicated to representing all Californians, regardless of their immigration status.
No Kings Protests
The No Kings protests, which took place in more than 2,000 cities nation-wide, challenged the Trump administration on Immigration Enforcement and Customs’ policies.
Thompson showed strong support for the No Kings protests.
“I thought it was an incredible show of support for our democracy,” he said. “The number of people who turned out in my district alone was overwhelming. People don’t want a president who disregards the law, the Constitution and the precedent. They want a president that, instead of trying to divide people, tries to bring people together.”
The congressman questioned the Trump Administration’s intentions when deploying the National Guard and bypassing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s approval.
“This is something he did unilaterally, and I can’t help but think he did that for the sole purpose of revving things up for political purposes,” Thompson said.
Thompson claimed the lack of communication between state and federal government put more than protesters and immigrants in harm’s way. He said that Border Patrol failed to communicate the flight plan of multiple helicopters to local law enforcement, creating a potential crash hazard.
Removal of California senator from News Conference Room
According to Thompson, Homeland Security agents forcefully removed Sen. Alex Padilla after he interrupted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s briefing on the protests in Los Angeles that began on June 6.
“That is absolutely unacceptable behavior on the part of anyone,” Thompson said. “He had every right to ask questions. There was no reason in the world for them to treat a seated United States Senator, our Senior United States Senator, the way that they did. It’s just unacceptable.”
Thompson theorized that the reason for Homeland Security’s handling of Padilla’s interruption was related to Noem’s inability to answer questions regarding the legality of the Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard to the protests in downtown LA.
“I understand that she can’t answer the questions,” he said. “She’s had trouble in all the hearings being able to accurately and adequately answer questions she’s on a political move, not on a policy or a factual move.”
Assassination of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman
Thompson also commented on the assasination of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband as well as the attack on two other lawmakers, allegedly by Vance Boelter. “There’s no place for violence, and there’s no place for political violence in our society,” he said. “And I really think it’s important that all the political voices turn down the rhetoric, and the American people come together.”
Thompson said that although politically motivated violence has become more common in recent months, he is not worried about his own personal safety.
“I have a job to do, and I continue to do it,” he said. “I don’t spend any time thinking about what might or might not happen. What happened in regard to the attempt on President Trump’s life is every bit as bad as what happened in Minnesota. As I said, it’s not acceptable for anybody of any political stripe. It’s got to stop.”
Iran Bombing
Following President Trump’s bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran, Rep. Thompson released the following statement, “It is Congress’ Constitutional responsibility to debate and approve any use of military force. This is why I called on Speaker Johnson last week to reconvene the U.S. House of Representatives, and I am calling on him once again to call us back into session now. Members must be briefed immediately on the evolving situation in the Middle East so we can fulfill our Constitutional responsibilities.”
