Shots at Democrats: JD Vance calls Alex Padilla 'Jose Padilla' after press clash; blames Gavin Newsom for LA unrest

JD Vance
US vice president JD Vance sparked outrage on Friday during a tense visit to Los Angeles, where he accused California governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass of encouraging violent immigration protests and mistakenly referred to Senator Alex Padilla as 'Jose Padilla,' a name associated with a convicted al-Qaida plotter.
Vance's visit came after days of violent clashes between police and protesters, following federal immigration raids across Southern California. The Trump administration's decision to send in 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines has been heavily criticised by state and local leaders, who accuse the White House of escalating tensions rather than calming them.
Speaking to reporters after touring a federal Joint Operations Center and mobile command centre, Vance doubled down on blaming California officials.
'Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass, by treating the city as a sanctuary city, have basically said that this is open season on federal law enforcement,' he said.
'What happened here was a tragedy,' Vance continued. 'You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law and they had rioters egged on by the governor and the mayor, making it harder for them to do their job. That is disgraceful. And it is why the president has responded so forcefully.'
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Vance also referred to Democratic Senator Alex Padilla as 'Jose Padilla,' a week after the senator was tackled and handcuffed while speaking at a news conference hosted by Homeland Security Secretary
Kristi Noem
. 'I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question,' Vance said. 'I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't a theatre. And that's all it is.'
Critics were quick to call out the remark, noting that 'Jose Padilla' is the name of a man convicted of terrorism-related charges during the Bush administration.
Governor Newsom responded on X, saying the name mix-up was 'no accident.'
Governor Newsom fired back during a press conference, accusing Vance of spreading 'utter nonsense.' He denied claims that state officials encouraged violence, saying, 'The Vice President's claim is categorically false. The governor has consistently condemned violence and has made his stance clear.'
Mayor Karen Bass also condemned the comment.
'How dare you say that city officials encourage violence? We kept the peace,' she said, calling the federal operation a 'stunt' that wasted hundreds of millions of dollars.
Earlier that day, Newsom had urged Vance to meet with victims of January's deadly wildfires while in California and to speak with US President
Donald Trump
about unlocking $40 billion in federal wildfire aid. 'I hope we get that back on track,' Newsom posted on X. 'We are counting on you, Mr Vice President.' Vance did not respond to those remarks during his Friday appearance.

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Business Standard

37 minutes ago

• Business Standard

Vance blames California Democrats for protests, mocks Sen Padilla as 'Jose'

Vance's visit to Los Angeles to tour a multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center and a mobile command centre came as demonstrations calmed down in the city and a curfew was lifted AP Los Angeles Vice President JD Vance on Friday accused California Gov Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of encouraging violent immigration protests as he used his appearance in Los Angeles to rebut criticism from state and local officials that the Trump administration fuelled the unrest by sending in federal officers. Vance also referred to US Sen Alex Padilla, the state's first Latino senator, as Jose Padilla, a week after the Democrat was forcibly taken to the ground by officers and handcuffed after speaking out during a Los Angeles news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on immigration raids. I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question, Vance said, in an apparent reference to the altercation at Noem's event. I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't a theater. And that's all it is. They want to be able to go back to their far-left groups and to say, Look, me, I stood up against border enforcement. I stood up against Donald Trump,' Vance added. A spokesperson for Padilla, Tess Oswald, noted in a social media post that Padilla and Vance were formerly colleagues in the Senate and said that Vance should know better. He should be more focused on demilitarizing our city than taking cheap shots, Oswald said. Vance's visit to Los Angeles to tour a multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center and a mobile command centre came as demonstrations calmed down in the city and a curfew was lifted this week. That followed over a week of sometimes-violent clashes between protesters and police and outbreaks of vandalism and looting that followed immigration raids across Southern California. Trump's dispatching of his top emissary to Los Angeles at a time of turmoil surrounding the Israel-Iran war and the US's future role in it signals the political importance Trump places on his hard-line immigration policies. Vance echoed the president's harsh rhetoric toward California Democrats as he sought to blame them for the protests in the city. Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass, by treating the city as a sanctuary city, have basically said that this is open season on federal law enforcement, Vance said after he toured federal immigration enforcement offices. What happened here was a tragedy, Vance added. You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law and they had rioters egged on by the governor and the mayor, making it harder for them to do their job. That is disgraceful. And it is why the president has responded so forcefully. Newsom's spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement, The Vice President's claim is categorically false. The governor has consistently condemned violence and has made his stance clear. Speaking at City Hall, Bass said Vance was spewing lies and utter nonsense. She said hundreds of millions of dollars were wasted by the federal government on a stunt. How dare you say that city officials encourage violence? We kept the peace, Bass said. In a statement on X, Newsom responded to Vance's reference to Jose Padilla, saying the comment was no accident. Jose Padilla also is the name of a convicted al-Qaida terrorism plotter during President George W. Bush's administration, who was sentenced to two decades in prison. Padilla was arrested in 2002 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport during the tense months after the 9/11 attacks and accused of the dirty bomb mission. It later emerged through US interrogation of other al-Qaida suspects that the mission was only a sketchy idea, and those claims never surfaced in the South Florida terrorism case. Responding to the outrage, Taylor Van Kirk, a spokesperson for Vance, said of the vice president: He must have mixed up two people who have broken the law. Federal immigration authorities have been ramping up arrests across the country to fulfil Trump's promise of mass deportations. Todd Lyons, the head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has defended his tactics against criticism that authorities are being too heavy-handed. The friction in Los Angeles began June 6, when federal agents conducted a series of immigration sweeps in the region that have continued since. Amid the protests and over the objections of state and local officials, Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the second-largest US city, home to 3.8 million people. Trump has said that without the military's involvement, Los Angeles would be a crime scene like we haven't seen in years. Newsom has depicted the military intervention as the onset of a much broader effort by Trump to overturn political and cultural norms at the heart of the nation's democracy. Earlier Friday, Newsom urged Vance to visit victims of the deadly January wildfires while in Southern California and talk with Trump, who earlier this week suggested his feud with the governor might influence his consideration of $40 billion in federal wildfire aid for California. I hope we get that back on track, Newsom wrote on X. We are counting on you, Mr. Vice President. Vance did not mention either request during his appearance on Friday. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Time of India

an hour ago

• Time of India

No need for moral lessons from MLA Sunil Kumar, says Karnataka minister Laxmi Hebbalkar; defends anganwadi record, blames BJP for distraction protests

Karnataka minister Laxmi Hebbalkar UDUPI: Women and Child Development minister and Udupi District minister Laxmi Hebbalkar on Friday dismissed criticisms made by MLA Sunil Kumar , stating that he lacks the moral authority to lecture others. 'There is no need to learn moral lessons from MLA Sunil Kumar. What does moral authority even mean? Let him first understand morality before lecturing others," said Laxmi Hebbalkar. The minister was responding to Sunil Kumar's allegation that Hebbalkar lacked moral rights to speak on activist Chakravarthy Sulibele. She questioned, 'What does he mean by saying the district minister lacks moral rights? Sunil Kumar speaks well but seems to believe he alone holds all the wisdom and others are fools,' she said. When asked about the number of Anganwadi centres under her department, the Minister responded, 'There are around 69,000 Anganwadi buildings in the state, of which about 12,000 are rented. Do I need to speak everything about Sunil Kumar? You are asking about my department? Come, I will give you all the details,' she said. She added, 'I know exactly how many Anganwadis there are in the state, how many Anganwadi workers are there, how many are functioning from rented buildings, how many are govt-owned, how many are in rural areas, how many in towns, and how many are in poor condition. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending Local Enterprise Accounting Software [Click Here] Accounting ERP Click Here Undo I even know how many are in your (Sunil Kumar's) constituency.' Protest is a Constitutional Right 'Protest is a constitutional right. If the opposition has nothing else to do, let them protest. The central govt is being unfair when it comes to development. Let them protest against the injustice by the central govt. NREGA funds were not released. Can they protest about that? The BJP is trying to mislead the public and are protesting to cover up internal party conflicts. This is all BJP's drama. Even BJP workers are tired. Wherever you go, they express dissatisfaction with their leaders. These protests are just a distraction tactic to blame the Congress,' she alleged. Government Not Targeting Anyone On Hindu leaders being targeted and externed, particularly Hindu leader Srikanth Shetty, the Minister said, 'We are not targeting any intellectual or orator. It is important to protect communal harmony in society. No attempt should be made to divide the society. One must review Srikant Shetty's past speeches and the truth will be out,' she said.

New Indian Express

an hour ago

• New Indian Express

JD Vance says US troops still 'necessary' in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES: US Vice President JD Vance said on Friday that the thousands of troops deployed to Los Angeles this month were still needed despite a week of relative calm in the protest-hit city. President Donald Trump has sent roughly 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines, purportedly to protect federal property and personnel, after demonstrations over immigration raids. "Unfortunately, the soldiers and Marines are still very much a necessary part of what's going on here because they're worried that it's going to flare back up," Vance told reporters in Los Angeles. He was speaking the day after an appeals court ruled that Trump could continue to control the California National Guard, which would normally fall under Governor Gavin Newsom's authority. California officials have heavily criticized Trump over his use of the military, saying it escalated protests that local law enforcement could have handled. The demonstrations were largely peaceful and mostly contained to a small part of Los Angeles, the second-largest US city, although there were instances of violence and vandalism. "If you let violent rioters burn Great American Cities to the ground, then, of course, we're going to send federal law enforcement in to protect the people the president was elected to protect," Vance said, adding that Trump would deploy them again if needed.