Yesterday, a United States Senator was removed forcibly from a public press conference, manhandled and thrown to the ground by federal agents, and handcuffed. 

All for asking questions of Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security.

This is unacceptable. It’s a blatant abuse of authority. It is a violent act. And there can be no justification for it.

But this is not an isolated incident. It is part of a pattern.

In my own community of Newark, the Mayor was arrested by federal agents at an ICE detention facility while conducting lawful oversight. He was invited inside the gates of the facility, suddenly asked to leave, then arrested — while he was leaving.

A judge reprimanded the Trump administration for the arrest. He called it outrageous.

But time and time again, we see this administration trying to precipitate a response through the misuse and abuse of force. These things happen in authoritarian governments, not democracies.

Democrat, Republican, or Independent, we in the United States Senate cannot tolerate this.

We have a constitutional obligation to provide oversight to the executive. To ask questions. To make inquiries. To check and balance the authority of the executive branch.

But yesterday, right before our eyes, we saw a United States Senator shoved out of a room, shoved to the ground, shoved onto his belly, and had his arms pulled behind his back. All for asking questions. All for doing his job.

This should outrage every United States Senator. This should outrage every patriotic American.

I am proud to call Alex Padilla a friend. I see him fight every day for working families in California and across our nation. And John, our best shot at holding power accountable is by electing more people like Alex Padilla to serve in the United States Senate.

So please, split a donation between Alex’s campaign and mine as we work together to flip the Senate majority and hold this administration accountable.

If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your split donation to Alex Padilla and Cory Booker will go through immediately:

With love and gratitude,

Cory