A federal judge on Thursday declined to toss out the federal charges against Democrat Rep. LaMonica McIver.
In June, a federal grand jury returned a 3-count indictment charging Democrat Rep. LaMonica McIver with forcibly impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers at the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark.
McIver is facing a maximum of 17 years in prison for all three counts.
McIver recently pleaded not guilty.
LaMonica McIver verbally abused and physically assaulted federal agents at a detention facility in Newark in May.
ICE bodycam footage revealed Rep. LaMonica McIver was verbally abusing federal agents and threatening to destroy their careers.
“I touch whoever I want motherf*cker!” McIver shouted.
WATCH:
BREAKING: 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… pic.twitter.com/msAQBz23oJ
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 10, 2025
US District Judge Jamel Semper, a Biden appointee, refused to toss the charges against LaMonica McIver and admonished her for her actions.
Politico reported:
A federal judge on Thursday declined to toss federal assault charges against New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver.
The first-term Democrat was charged with assaulting law enforcement officers following a chaotic scrum outside an immigration detention facility in May.
McIver argued that the prosecution — led by Alina Habba, a former personal attorney to President Donald Trump whom he picked to be the state’s top federal prosecutor — was unfair and that she was shielded from the charges by the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause, which grants members of Congress a form of immunity that is mostly impenetrable in investigations relating to the official duties of lawmakers.
U.S. District Judge Jamel Semper, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, disagreed and refused to toss two of the three counts, while reserving judgment on a third until he sees more evidence.
“Defendant’s active participation in the alleged conduct removes her acts from the safe harbor of mere oversight,” he said. “Lawfully or unlawfully, Defendant actively engaged in conduct unrelated to her oversight responsibilities and congressional duties.”
