Scoop: House Democrats probe FBI handcuffing of Sen. Alex Padilla

The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee is scrutinizing FBI agents' forcible removal and handcuffing of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) at the agency's Los Angeles headquarters last week, Axios has learned.Why it matters: It is the latest salvo in an escalating tit-for-tat between Democrats and the Trump administration over federal law enforcement's use of physical and legal force against elected officials.In a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) labeled the Padilla incident "the most recent in a string of increasingly flagrant abuses of power by the Trump Administration to deter congressional oversight and intimidate Members of Congress."The FBI declined to comment on the matter.Driving the news: Raskin, the Judiciary Committee's ranking member, is asking Patel for a "detailed accounting of the FBI's operational involvement" in Padilla's forcible removal, according to a copy of his letter first obtained by Axios.That includes a timeline of the incident, information on the chain of command involved in authorizing or overseeing the FBI agents' actions and the "specific justification" for the use of force against Padilla.He also demanded all internal documents and communications related to the incident, as well as a statement from the FBI about whether its agents violated federal law prohibiting assault against a member of Congress.Zoom in: Raskin is also asking the FBI to conduct its own investigation into the incident and to arrange a briefing for him.The briefing, he wrote, should address whether an internal probe is underway and if any disciplinary action has been taken against the agents involved.Patel, a loyalist to President Trump, is highly unlikely to accede to any of Raskin's demands.What he's saying: "Can you explain why asking government officials to answer basic questions is such a threat to this Administration that it would resort to such tactics against a United States Senator?" Raskin wrote to Patel."This Administration has much to answer for," he added, calling the treatment of Padilla "another vivid episode of authoritarian tactics and brute force being used to crush oversight and critical questioning."

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