WATCH: Padilla Breaks Down New Whistleblower Disclosure that White House Allegedly Targeted LA Protestors for Exercising 1st Amendment Rights

Padilla unpacks allegations that the White House, DOJ leadership, and FBI leadership directed unconstitutional investigations into protestors and demands invoking 25 th Amendmen t WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, released a video highlighting the Trump Administration’s repeated attacks on free speech, detailing a recent whistleblower disclosure that alleges that the White House illegally directed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to open investigations into anti-ICE and CBP protesters in Los Angeles solely for their First Amendment activity. The disclosure further alleges that FBI leadership pursued these investigations despite believing they were unconstitutional. Padilla has fought to hold the Trump Administration accountable. In January, Padilla and Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced a bill to reaffirm the right to free speech and safeguard Americans from politically motivated harassment and prosecution. Excerpts from the video are below: PADILLA REACTS TO TRUMP’S LOS ANGELES AND SAN DIEGO IRAN COMMENTS As one of California’s United States senators, I take that seriously because the president’s job is to protect and serve the American people. Not just the people who voted for him, everyone. And when you’re commander-in-chief, your words carry enormous weight, especially when you’re talking about nuclear weapons. And frankly, Americans have every right to question the president’s judgment and fitness for office when he makes statements like these. But here’s where things get interesting. Because the administration wants people to consider the context of Trump’s words. And that brings me to the other story. So, let me get this straight. When Trump says something controversial, we’re supposed to consider the context. We’re supposed to understand what he really meant. Okay. But when Americans criticize the president, according to a new whistleblower disclosure that came to my office, his administration allegedly wanted the FBI to investigate them. Now, that’s the hypocrisy here. PADILLA UNPACKS RECENT WHISTLEBLOWER DISCLOSURE According to the whistleblower, President Trump allegedly saw footage of protesters in Alhambra, California, warning their neighbors about immigration enforcement activity and informing them about the need for judicial warrants to enter private homes. They were using megaphones and speaking out against his mass deportation agenda. […] The whistleblower alleges that FBI leadership recognized the constitutional concerns but pursued the investigations anyway under pressure from the White House. They also alleged that in a separate incident, FBI personnel were directed to investigate anti-ICE and CBP protesters at federal buildings in Los Angeles without evidence of actual or potential national security threats or federal criminal activity or vulnerability to such threats. And while this was happening, according to the disclosure, FBI personnel were being pulled away from investigations involving violent crime, drug trafficking, and organized crime. The Trump administration is diverting federal law enforcement resources away from those investigations to examine people exercising their First Amendment rights. PADILLA DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM FBI AND DOJ How many Americans were targeted solely because of their constitutionally protected speech? What resources were diverted? What happened to the people who tried to raise concerns? And going forward, how will the FBI and the Department of Justice ensure that no one is investigated based solely on what they say? PADILLA ON WHAT THIS MEANS FOR OUR COUNTRY We’re watching a series of events that raise important questions about executive power. A president whose words about American cities spark national controversy. A whistleblower alleging that federal law enforcement was pressured to investigate political dissent and federal employees who, according to that disclosure, feared the consequences of refusing those directives. These are different issues, but they all underscore why our Constitution places limits on presidential power because no president gets to decide which Americans deserve constitutional rights. No president gets to put personal loyalty above the law and no president is above accountability. PADILLA’S EFFORTS TO HOLD TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACCOUNTABLE When I took my oath of office, I didn’t swear loyalty to a president or a political party. I swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, and I’m going to keep doing exactly that. I’ll keep demanding answers about these whistleblower allegations. I’ll keep fighting to protect our constitutional rights. I’ll keep holding this administration accountable through every tool available to Congress. Because the presidency doesn’t belong to Donald Trump. It belongs to the American people. And the Constitution always comes first. ###