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NEWARK, N.J. -- U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges she assaulted officials during an oversight sojourn to an migration detention halfway successful May. It's a uncommon federal prosecution against a existent subordinate of Congress connected charges different than corruption oregon fraud.
Outside court, the congresswoman was defiant, saying the charges won't halt her from doing her job.
The 39-year-old Newark, New Jersey, autochthonal is successful her archetypal afloat word successful Congress, and has garnered much attraction than galore longer-tenured members.
Here's a person look astatine the 10th District Democrat:
McIver was calved successful Newark, New Jersey's largest city, and grew up successful what Newark Mayor Ras Baraka — who was her simple schoolhouse teacher — said was a pugnacious neighborhood. Baraka has go 1 of her astir vocal and highest illustration protagonist and was successful tribunal Wednesday to enactment her.
Federal migration officials arrested Baraka extracurricular the Delaney Hall detention halfway connected May 9 connected a trespassing complaint they aboriginal dropped. McIver was seen guarding him successful video released from the encounter.
In an interview, helium recalled McIver arsenic a astute pupil whose parent sent her to assistance with 1 of his elections, passing retired run literature. He recalled moving unsuccessfully for years earlier yet getting elected, and said McIver was astatine his broadside for overmuch of it.
“She’s the aforesaid idiosyncratic successful tone who she was successful the 5th and sixth grade,” Baraka said. “She inactive has that combat successful her, that quality and desire, you know, not to beryllium bullied oregon pushed astir and to, you, know, correspond herself, her community—she's inactive doing that.”
McIver attended Bloomfield College and Seton Hall University successful South Orange, New Jersey, wherever she obtained a master's degree. She worked successful nationalist education, including stints with Newark and Montclair nationalist schools, and successful 2018 was elected to the Newark City Council.
She became the council's president successful 2022. A measurement lowering the voting property to 16 for schoolhouse committee elections successful the metropolis passed nether her tenure, among others.
New Jersey authorities Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz said she forged a enslaved with McIver during the COVID-19 pandemic erstwhile they attended their daughters' shot games. They discussed balancing enactment and life.
“This is simply a women who loves her family,” Ruiz said. This is pistillate who loves nationalist office. This is the pistillate who loves her city, her authorities and her country."
A petition for an interrogation oregon remark sent to McIver's bureau was not answered.
In 2024 McIver emerged victorious from the Democratic tract and won a peculiar election successful September aft Rep. Donald Payne Jr. died successful office. She won a afloat two-year word successful November.
LeRoy Jones, who chairs the authorities Democratic Party arsenic good arsenic its Essex County counterpart, described her arsenic a rising star. She tin “walk with Kings and Queens but inactive has the communal touch,” helium said.
In Congress, McIver sponsored authorities to region a headdress connected structure expenses that beneficiaries tin assertion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program arsenic good arsenic a weapon buyback measurement aimed astatine making neighborhoods safer. Neither measure has precocious successful the GOP-led House.
McIver faces 3 counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with national officials. If convicted, she could perchance look situation time, though a justice could enforce a lesser penalty.
McIver’s lawyer, erstwhile U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman, said Wednesday "she pleaded not blameworthy due to the fact that she is not guity."
The charges stem from a legislature oversight sojourn to the halfway that McIver and Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez undertook that resulted successful Baraka's apprehension aft officials determined helium wasn't authorized to enter. Members of Congress are authorized by instrumentality to behaviour visits.
A transgression ailment alleges that she “slammed” her forearm into an cause and past tried to restrain the cause by grabbing him.
The indictment besides says she placed her arms astir the politician to effort to halt his apprehension and says again that she slammed her forearm into and grabbed an agent.
A astir two-minute video clip released by the Homeland Security Department shows McIver astatine the installation wrong a chain-link obstruction conscionable earlier Baraka’s apprehension connected the different broadside of the barrier, wherever different radical were protesting. McIver and uniformed officials spell done the gate, and she joins others shouting that they should ellipse the mayor.
The video shows McIver successful a tightly packed radical of radical and officers. At 1 point, her near elbow and past her close elbow propulsion into an officer.
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