Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) filed a resolution Wednesday to expel a House Democrat charged with assault of federal officers by the Department of Justice.
The expulsion resolution came after Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) was charged by a federal prosecutor for a protest at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in New Jersey. A trespassing charge against Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka for the same protest was simultaneously dropped.
DOJ CHARGES HOUSE DEMOCRAT LAMONICA MCIVER OVER ICE FACILITY ASSAULT
“On May 9th, McIver didn’t just break the law, she attacked the very people who defend it,” Mace said in a statement. “Attacking Homeland Security and ICE agents isn’t just disgraceful, it’s assault. If any other American did what she did, they’d be in handcuffs. McIver thinks being a Member of Congress puts her above the law. It doesn’t. She should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
In response to Mace’s resolution, McIver said, “In the South, I think they say, ‘bless her heart,’” in a post to X.
McIver previously said the charges against her were “purely political,” saying they “mischaracterize and distort” her actions during the incident.
“This administration will never stop me from working for the people in our district and standing up for what is right,” McIver said in a statement. “I am thankful for the outpouring of support I have received, and I look forward to the truth being laid out clearly in court.”
House Democrats have rushed to support their colleague over the past few days, issuing statements, social media posts, and comments in committee hearings. Some members chalked it up to a “distraction” for cuts being made in President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”
DEMOCRATS RALLY BEHIND LAMONICA MCIVER, CONGRESSWOMAN CHARGED WITH FELONY ASSAULT OF ICE AGENTS
“I’ve started to think they’re just trying to distract everybody from their horrific situation with slashing Medicaid and Head Start and Meals on Wheels and everything,” Judiciary Chairman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday afternoon.
Expulsion is the most severe form of congressional punishment that can be brought upon a member. A censure resolution, which is more commonly used, is a less severe “slap on the wrist.” The last member to be expelled was former Republican New York Rep. George Santos, who is facing jail time, and the last member the House voted to censure was Rep. Al Green (D-TX) for his outburst during Trump’s joint address to Congress.