California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom has filed a formal records request with the Department of Homeland Security to gather information about why federal agents were at an event he held in Los Angeles last week with other Democrats to talk about redistricting efforts, The Hill reported on Monday.
Newsom's request seeks "all documents and records, including but not limited to text messages, Microsoft Teams messages, phone logs, risk assessments, and memoranda" connected to the presence of Border Patrol agents at his Los Angeles press conference on Thursday.
The California governor said in a statement that "Trump's use of the military and federal law enforcement to try to intimidate his political opponents is yet another dangerous step towards authoritarianism. Trump is attempting to advance a playbook from the despots he admires in Russia and North Korea."
Newsom added that "we will not back down in our defense of democratic freedom, and the Trump administration should answer for this pathetic and cowardly behavior."
In response, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Hill on Monday that Border Patrol has a constant presence in Los Angeles to locate those in the country illegally as part of the administration's crackdown on immigration.
McLaughlin emphasized that "DHS is a law enforcement agency... DHS is focused on enforcing the law, not on [Newsom]," adding that "under President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S."
During the LA news conference, Newsom announced plans for a measure on the ballot to bypass California's independent redistricting commission in order to have a map more favorable to Democrats that would counter the Republican's attempt at redistricting in Texas.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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