Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday accused Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) of “political theater” for attempting to ask questions at a press conference.
Padilla was roughed up, forced out, and handcuffed.
“Nobody knew who he was, he didn’t say who he was,” Noem claimed during a Fox News interview, despite footage showing Padilla clearly identifying himself during the encounter. “I would have loved to have sat down and had a conversation with him, that coming into a press conference like this is political theater.”
Her agency sent a similar message on her behalf via Twitter, also calling it “political theatre,” using the British spelling of the word.
But critics were quick to point out that when it comes to “political theater,” Noem seems to have her own costuming department. She’s done a number of photo ops and other publicity stunts in a variety of uniforms and outfits, leading some to dub her “ICE Barbie” and “Cosplay Kristi.”
Her critics fired back on X with some photographic evidence: