1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

To our Senators and Representatives: A member of your Congressional body, conducting his role of oversight, was assaulted by security forces at a press conference conducted in California yesterday. It was Senator Alex Padilla, and the event was led by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Chances are, you’ve heard of this. Excuses being offered by people present at the event are false, and the response of House Leader Johnson was reprehensible. You, as a representative of Congress, whether House or Senate, should recognize that this rapid deconstruction of Constitutional norms puts your ability to conduct your office with integrity at great risk, and your ability to stand for your constituents in equal jeopardy. It is time, it is beyond time, for all members of Congress to find common ground, and work together to reclaim the powers of their coequal branch. To not act is to relegate your office to a nothing, to a vestige, if it is to even exist at all.