Raskin launches probe of McIver charges

[struggle4progress]

by Rebecca Beitsch - 06/03/25 6:31 PM ET

Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, is launching an investigation into the charges filed against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) and the mayor of Newark, N.J., saying the moves appears to violate Justice Department policy.

McIver was charged last month after a scuffle with Department of Homeland Security officers outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility after they began to arrest Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D).

Alina Habba, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey and former personal attorney to President Trump, charged McIver with assaulting law enforcement, saying she used her forearms to push back against agents.

Habba’s office has already moved to dismiss the trespassing charges initially filed against Baraka, earning a reprimand from the judge in the case who cited an “apparent rush in this case, culminating … in the embarrassing retraction of charges” ...

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5331512-raskin-probe-mciver-charges-ice-facility-scuffle/

[struggle4progress]

1. Dems seek DOJ docs on McIver charging decision

Andrew Solender

... His outreach to Bondi signals a potential full-blown investigation should House Democrats return to power in 2026 ...

Raskin's letter includes a list of eight questions for Bondi that he wants answered by June 10.

The questions center around how the decision was made to prosecute McIver — as well as to bring and then drop charges against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.

Raskin is also requesting documents and communications related to the two prosecutions, including any legal analyses or records of discussions between the DOJ and the White House ...

https://www.axios.com/2025/06/03/lamonica-mciver-doj-pam-bondi-jamie-raskin

[struggle4progress]

2. Democrats call on AG Bondi to explain charges

... Democrats are asking Attorney General Pam Bondi to show receipts proving that Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba did not violate Justice Department policy by moving ahead with the prosecution without approval from the agency’s public integrity division.

Habba, a former Trump attorney now serving as the Garden State’s interim federal prosecutor, announced last month that she was charging U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver with assault after a clash with law enforcement at an ICE facility near Newark. Video from the incident, which occurred during a congressional tour, appeared to show McIver pushing officers as she entered with colleagues ...

“The decision to charge Congresswoman McIver appears to be part of a concerted strategy to deter congressional oversight and relentlessly pursue Donald Trump’s extreme immigration policy with complete disregard for the rule of law and the lawmaking branch of the government,” Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin told the attorney general in a letter ...

According to agency standards, federal prosecutors must consult with the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section and receive approval before bringing charges against members of Congress. The Public Integrity Office exists to review Justice Department actions and ensure that investigations and prosecutions are not carried out for political purposes ...
https://www.courthousenews.com/dems-demand-ag-bondi-explain-charges-against-new-jersey-rep-mciver/