The Democrats’ Hot Arraignment Summer

You almost have to feel sorry for California Senator Alex Padilla — not that anyone could summon the pity he clearly feels for himself. Mere hours after the senator charged at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a press conference, at which point he was ushered forcefully out of the room and handcuffed, Israel executed a 20-year plan to take out the Iranian nuclear program and ushered Padilla off the front pages.

You could sense the Democratic Party’s pain. If you couldn’t, a barely noticed Senate floor speech, in which Padilla struggled (as visibly as he could) to restrain tears over the degree to which his treatment is a leading indicator of authoritarianism, conveyed his and his party’s anguish. Within hours of Padilla’s manhandling, Senate Democrats did their best to exploit their colleague’s treatment. They issued video statement after video statement, each more aggrieved than the last, calling the episode an “assault” on the senator and an indictment of government itself. The coordination and speed that typified the party’s responses are suggestive of something other than an organic reaction to unforeseen events in real time.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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You almost have to feel sorry for California Senator Alex Padilla — not that anyone could summon the pity he clearly feels for himself. Mere hours after the senator charged at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during a press conference, at which point he was ushered forcefully out of the room and handcuffed, Israel executed a 20-year plan to take out the Iranian nuclear program and ushered Padilla off the front pages.

You could sense the Democratic Party’s pain. If you couldn’t, a barely noticed Senate floor speech, in which Padilla struggled (as visibly as he could) to restrain tears over the degree to which his treatment is a leading indicator of authoritarianism, conveyed his and his party’s anguish. Within hours of Padilla’s manhandling, Senate Democrats did their best to exploit their colleague’s treatment. They issued video statement after video statement, each more aggrieved than the last, calling the episode an “assault” on the senator and an indictment of government itself. The coordination and speed that typified the party’s responses are suggestive of something other than an organic reaction to unforeseen events in real time.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.