Far-left Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) was indicted by a grand jury in June over her alleged assault of a federal immigration officer while storming an ICE detention facility in New Jersey, and now faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted on all the counts with which she was charged by the Department of Justice. Now she’s scrambling to escape those consequences, trying to get the case thrown out.
As background, the attack from which the charges stem occurred on Friday, May 9, when Newark, NJ, Mayor Ras Baraka and a number of Democratic members of Congress, such as Rep. McIver, alongside what appeared to be a gaggle of leftist agitators, tried storming the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, leading to numerous arrests.
Drawing attention to Rep. McIver’s conduct was conservative X personality Benny Johnson, who found and posted the footage on X, saying, “I have obtained exclusive ICE officer body cam footage clearly showing Democrat Rep. LaMonica McIver verbally and physically assaulting federal agents in New Jersey after illegally entering an ICE detention facility. In the video you can see indisputable evidence of Congresswoman McIver (in the red jacket) punch, push and hit a federal agent, refusing to follow the ICE officers orders and impeding in a lawful arrest.”
Continuing, Benny noted, “In the body cam footage you can also watch Rep. McIver verbally threaten to “put hands” on the federal agents. “I touch whoever I want mother fu****!” Rep. McIver then threatens to destroy the ICE officers careers, “You will pay!” before descending into a profanity-laced rampage tirade. All of these actions are flatly illegal under 18 U.S. Code § 111 and carry heavy fines and prison sentences.”
Then, in June, McIver was indicted, with the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey releasing a statement announcing, “U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver was charged in a three-count indictment today for forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers.” McIver pleaded not guilty.
The statement then added, commenting on what punishment McIver faces, “If convicted, McIver faces a maximum penalty of 8 years in prison on the forcible impeding and interfering charge set forth in Count One of the indictment. She faces a maximum penalty of 8 years in prison on the forcible impeding and interfering charge set forth in Count Two. She also faces a maximum penalty of 1 year in prison for Count Three.”
Now, Rep. McIver is desperately attempting to escape the charges by claiming that the charges stemming from her alleged assault of two homeland security officers, impeding their work, should be dismissed because of the “speech or debate” clause in the US Constitution, which grants members of Congress a form of immunity in cases relating to the official duties of lawmakers. As storming an ICE facility is not an official duty, the defense is weak, and the judge, Politico reports, appeared “skeptical.”
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Rep. McIver’s attorney, Paul Fishman, Politico also reported, tried framing the prosecution as politically motivated and unjustly vindictive, telling the court, “She was charged with something she never would have been charged with if she was a Republican.” It appears unlikely that the defense will succeed.
Watch Rep. McIver (in the red jacket) here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video