A Daily Reid: Defend LaMonica McIver!

Donald Trump's regime has indicted a congresswoman for the crime of oversight

Congresswoman Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., speaks to the press after Newark mayor Ras Baraka was arrested while protesting at Delancey Hall ICE detention prison, Friday, May 9, 2025, in Newark, N.J, (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

America, we’ve crossed a Rubicon.

A member of congress from New Jersey has been indicted by what now must be labeled the Injustice Department, based on the totality of their actions since January 20, 2025. Rep. LaMonica McIver has been charged with assaulting federal law enforcement officers — an absurd charge based on the easily available facts — but her real apparent crime was attempting to conduct oversight over Trump and Project 2025’s racist plan to run nonwhite migrants out of the United States and to lock them up without hearings while they dredge up enough military or private planes to “get them out,” in Trump’s words.

The congresswoman arrived at Delaney Hall, the former drug rehab and community reintegration center on May 9th, alongside two other members: Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rep. Rob Menendez, all from New Jersey, to inspect the facility, which they have the constitutional right and obligation to do, given that Delaney Hall is presently being operated as a federal detention center by a private prison company and Trump donor, The Geo Group, which has a contract with ICE.

What the facility apparently doesn’t have, is a current certificate of occupancy, separate from the one Delaney Hall had 20 years ago. The conflict over that question led to the arrest of the mayor of Newark, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ras Baraka on the 9th. He was charged with federal trespassing in his own city on a property he was asked by the security guard to enter.

Read my previous report on Baraka’s arrest here.

Those charges, which were downright silly, have since been dropped. But Alina Habba, best known as the gangster rap-loving, Black woman-dissing, fashion industry worker-turned faily Trump lawyer who helped lose his goofy defamation case against the New York Times and the case New York A.G. Letitia James filed over Trump’s “massaging” of his property valuations depending on whether he wanted lucrative loans or to avoid taxes, among other follies (peruse her Wikipedia entry. It’s wild) … but who now sits in a cushy sinecure as the acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey, is charging Rep. McIver with a violent crime. She of course released her announcement on Elon’s hell app:

The idea that Rep. McIver “assaulted, impeded,” or in any way “interfered with law enforcement” is belied by the fact that there is actual video that you can peruse with your own eyes. Here it is again, from every publicly available angle, courtesy of NJ.com.

And here is Rep. McIver’s statement:

And statements are pouring out from other New Jersey officials. Here are a few:

GOV. PHIL MURPHY

“Members of Congress have an explicit right under the law to inspect ICE and CBP facilities for the purpose of conducting oversight.

It is outrageous for a Congresswoman to be criminally charged for exercising her lawful duty to visit a detention site in her own district.”

SENATOR CORY BOOKER

“These charges are clearly unfounded. Representative McIver was exercising her legally protected authority as a member of Congress to conduct oversight of a detention center that receives millions of taxpayer dollars. Federal officials unnecessarily escalated what should have been a run-of-the-mill inspection of the facility. In fact, Representative McIver’s actions were so unremarkable that she was invited back inside to finish her tour that day, after these events took place.

Pursuing this case against Representative McIver will divert considerable resources away from serious matters of public safety. The Department of Justice should drop these charges immediately.”

SENATOR ANDY KIM

“The decision by the US Attorney to charge @RepLaMonica has nothing to do with enforcing the law, and everything to do with this administration’s attempt to intimidate those who dare speak against them or expose the truth.

Congresswoman McIver was in the process of conducting oversight, which is her right and responsibility.

It’s important that we stand up to protect that right, and I’m proud to join my colleagues to stand beside her to ensure that the people of our state can never be silenced.”

NEW JERSEY ATTORNEY GENERAL MATT PLATKIN

“We have long counted on a partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to keep New Jerseyans safe from harm. But instead of focusing on the pressing threats that matter to New Jersey families, Interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba has chosen to spend her time engaging in political stunts, often making irresponsible and unethical statements on cable TV or social media without bothering to understand the facts or law at issue. Charging a member of Congress who was conducting lawful oversight is an extraordinary step that requires clear evidence of criminal conduct and intent. Prosecutors have a duty to discharge their powers responsibly and fairly, and Alina Habba would do well to remember that.”

REP. ROB MENENDEZ

“Arresting a Member of Congress for doing their job will go down as one of the darkest days of the Trump Administration yet. Having witnessed everything that occurred that day firsthand, I strongly believe that the Administration should be apologizing to Representative McIver, not arresting her on unprecedented, politicized charges.

Every American should see this for what it is: the weaponization of the justice system in a shameful attempt to bully and intimidate those of us who stand in the way of the President’s agenda. If the Administration can do this to an elected official, they can do it to any American. This is a clear attempt to silence not just Members of Congress but all Americans. And this is our response to the Administration: we will not back down, and we will not be intimidated. We were sent here to fight for the people we represent, and that’s precisely what we will continue to do.”

REP. BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN

“This case is an assault on civil liberties and an attempt to silence political opposition. I was with Congresswoman LaMonica McIver and Congressman Rob Menendez at Delaney Hall and I saw what happened.

These allegations are simply incorrect and inconsistent with the facts. We were present to exercise our oversight responsibilities and in my view, the ICE agents needlessly chose to create a tense and dangerous situation by arresting Mayor Baraka.

This prosecution is wrong and alarming, as it is just one more example of the Trump administration ignoring the rule of law and attempting to run roughshod over the other branches of government-here, the Congress.

Everyone who values democratic principles should join me in demanding that the U.S. Attorney withdraw these baseless charges.”

REP. NELLIE POU

“I am disgusted and outraged that the Justice Department, through Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and hand-picked U.S. Attorney, is attempting to prosecute a sitting member of Congress on blatantly trumped-up, phony charges. Congresswoman McIver did nothing wrong except exercise her duty as a sitting member of Congress to call out excesses by the government. For a Justice Department so concerned about purported trespassing, I would remind everyone of the over 1,500 January 6 rioters who were given unconditional pardons after storming the Capitol to overturn the 2020 election.

This prosecution is nothing but cold vengeance and an abuse of power by a heavily politicized Justice Department and an unqualified temporary prosecutor whose only qualification to be United States Attorney is praising her boss in front of TV cameras. As a democracy, all Americans must be allowed to protest government corruption without fear of persecution or prosecution. These charges should be thrown out of court.”

REP. FRANK PALLONE

“This is a purely political act to stop a Member of Congress from doing her job. Oversight is not a criminal offense unless you are living under a fascist regime. Like all Members of Congress, Representatives Menendez, Watson Coleman, and McIver have authority under the law to conduct oversight visits at federal ICE detention facilities. Instead, they were met by heavily armed agents with covered faces and no identification. Democratic lawmakers were delayed and harassed for doing their job, and now the Trump Administration is abusing their power to sideline their political opponents. I stand with Representative McIver and all my New Jersey colleagues. We must not stay silent while Trump and his lawless administration tears the Constitution to shreds.”

REP. MIKIE SHERRILL

“This is another brazen and unlawful abuse of power by Trump loyalist, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba. The Trump Administration had no case against Mayor Baraka, so they are now taking aim at Rep. McIver, a move straight out of Trump’s authoritarian playbook. It is a sham. I’ll continue to stand with Rep. McIver as we hold this administration accountable for its blatant abuse of power and carry out oversight responsibilities.

Donald Trump’s contempt for the Constitution is once again on full display – and make no mistake, weaponizing the justice system to target political opponents threatens the very foundation of our republic. This is a calculated assault from the Trump Administration, and the justice system must soundly reject these authoritarian actions.”

REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER

“This couldn’t be more clear: Members of Congress have a Constitutional responsibility to conduct oversight over federal agencies. The Trump Administration is blatantly interfering with that authority to further its extreme political agenda.

The judicial system must reject any attempt to weaponize justice against political opponents — including my colleague, Congresswoman McIver.”

NEW JERSEY STATE DEMOCRATIC CHAIR LEROY JONES JR.

“The charges waged by Donald Trump and Alina Habba against Congresswoman LaMonica McIver are a politically motivated miscarriage of justice. Rep. McIver is a dedicated public servant who arrived at Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center on May 9th with her colleagues to provide oversight, as our Constitution demands of her. Trump and Habba are now attempting to rewrite the reality of what happened—but we can all see with our own eyes how she was attacked for doing her job. Rep. McIver’s resilience in the face of prosecution is a testament to her character and leadership—and we stand with her in this fight for our democracy.”

RANKING MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

Reps. Jamie Raskin, Pramila Jayapal, Jasmine Crockett, Mary Gay Scanlon, Jerrold Nadler, Hank Johnson, Lucy McBath

“The targeting of Representative McIver is a blatant attempt to intimidate Members of Congress and to block our oversight of this administration’s actions, which have been enjoined more than 150 times by federal courts. We stand by Representative McIver’s exercise of her constitutional rights and duties. If you come for the legal rights of one of us, you come for the rights of all of us.

Members of Congress have the right to conduct oversight, full stop – whether that’s holding Cabinet officials accountable or visiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. Representative McIver was performing her proper oversight role, a role she was elected by the American people to do — and even participated in a one-hour tour after the incident occurred.

Charging Members of Congress for doing our jobs is a dangerous precedent to set. It reveals the increasingly authoritarian nature of this Administration and its relentless, illegal attempts to suppress any dissent or oversight, including from judges, Members of Congress, and the American people, which check lawless executive power. Representative McIver has our full support, and we will do everything in our power to help fight this outrageous threat to our constitutional system.”

REP. and FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI

“The baseless charges against Congresswoman LaMonica McIver are nothing more than a political stunt and a brazen attack on the constitutional Article One powers of the Congress.

Congresswoman McIver was conducting legitimate oversight of an ICE facility as permitted by law. I join my Democratic colleagues in the House in extending my full support to her.

Thank you, @RepLaMonica, for exercising your rights and duties as a U.S. Representative — and therefore defending all of our rights as Members of Congress.”

NEW JERSEY WORKING FAMILIES PARTY STATE DIRECTOR ANTOINETTE MILES

“The charges brought against Congresswoman McIver represent an extraordinary overreach and abuse of power by a corrupt Trump Administration hellbent on targeting elected officials.

This is a political prosecution meant to intimidate and silence a Member of Congress for doing the job that she was elected to do.

We stand with Congresswoman McIver against the Trump Administration’s blatant disregard for the Constitution.”

Of course the fools on the Hill have also commented, starting with the autocrat in chief:

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

“Give me a break. Did you see her? She was out of control. Those days are over. The days of woke are over. That woman — I have no idea who she is — that woman was out of control … the days of that crap are over in this country. We’re going to have law and order.”

HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM

“After a thorough review of the video footage of Delaney Hall and a full investigation from HSI, the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey has made the determination to charge Congresswoman LaMonica McIver for assaulting, resisting, and impeding law enforcement officers.

No one is above the law. If any person, regardless of political party, influence or status, assaults a law enforcement officer as we witnessed Congresswoman McIver do, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

We thank our brave ICE law enforcement officers for their service to this great nation.”

What’s notable here, is not just the arrest of a sitting member of Congress who literally had the explicit, constitutional authority to be at that facility, and in fact had a duty to be there, is the literally discoverable fact that Rep. McIver assaulted no one, harmed no one, and did nothing that could possibly incite a criminal charge. You can literally see her being shoved around in the crowd as she tries to protect her elder, Rep. Watson Coleman.

The video above was played today in a subcommittee hearing of the House Oversight Committee, which was entitled … for emphasis… “Examining Threats to ICE Operations.” The crowd outside the Capitol hearing was thick:

Photos taken outside the U.S. Capitol as a subcommittee Oversight hearing was under way. Senator Cory Booker and others addressed the crowd.

And the hearing is still going on. You can watch it here:

Note that after the chaos you saw in that video died down, Rep. McIver and the other congress members were indeed let inside Delaney Hall. The were greeted by the warden, and given a tour. According to sources with direct knowledge, “there was no tension with the warden, and he answered their questions and showed them what they needed to see.” The members left without incident, only to find Habba taking to Fox to dramatically declare what had happened in Newark to have been violent and criminal.

Moreover, despite the fact that it is being leased by a federal government contractor, Delaney Hall is still a private facility. It is not federal property. That means that, according to attorneys familiar with the relevant laws, federal police don’t even have jurisdiction to arrest any individual there. If you want to know why Habba and friends dropped the charges against Mayor Baraka, that’s why.

So what’s this really about?

It’s about intimidation. Pure and simple. The Trump regime wants to violently remove as many nonwhite immigrants as they can, law and constitution be damned. And they want to silence any interference or protest of that policy. And I’m sure it rates well with their maga base if the people they silence most aggressively are the same people who have led civil rights movements in this country since its founding: namely, Black people. And Black women in particular.

The regime clearly wants to prevent Rep. McIver or any member of congress from conducting oversight over their plans. And they want to take all of our focus off of the fact that the people detained inside that private prison, likely operating in contravention to New Jersey state law, are Black and brown. They are reportedly being denied due process. Many have no criminal history, and from what I’m being told, those who do have criminal charges against them are charged with minor offenses like shoplifting or panhandling. That shouldn’t be enough to get you disappeared into a private gulag run by a major donor to the president.

This attempt at intimidating a member of Congress is flatly authoritarian and should, if there is still any force of law left in this country, both fail and backfire on the regime.

Will keep you posted on any new developments as they happen.

UPDATE: Here is the statement from the Congressional Black Caucus on the indictment of Rep McIver:

Will keep the updates coming.

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