AFT’s Weingarten on Assault of Sen. Alex Padilla

WASHINGTON—AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement after federal officials tackled to the ground and handcuffed U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla for asking a question at a public press conference in his home state.

“This is a disgrace: The authoritarianism we have warned about is on full, disgusting and disturbing display. First a mayor, then a congressman, now a U.S. senator. These assaults are offensive to democracy, to the rule of law and to the idea of America itself, and they must end now. As the senator said, if this is what federal agents are capable of doing to elected officials in plain sight, imagine what they’re doing in our communities, our farms and our schools every day. This weekend we are standing up against the kinds of attacks we witnessed today, and for our vision of a country built on free speech, democracy and liberty for all.”