Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), who faces felony charges for allegedly assaulting two federal officers, made her first court appearance on May 21 and was released under travel restrictions.
McIver attended the hearing virtually from Washington. The 15-minute hearing was live-streamed from the federal courthouse in Newark, New Jersey.
The first-term congresswoman spoke briefly during the proceeding, mostly answering U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacey Adams’s questions about whether she understood the charges and her rights as a defendant. She was not asked to enter a plea.
Adams set bail conditions allowing McIver to travel for official congressional duties. Her legal team argued that she should be allowed vacation travels as well.
“There is zero chance the congresswoman is a flight risk,” said her lawyer, Paul Fishman, a former U.S. attorney for New Jersey under the Obama administration.
As part of her release, McIver was ordered to surrender all firearms she may have. Her next court appearance is scheduled for June 11, when she must show up in person.
McIver faces two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain federal officers or employees. Prosecutor Stephen Demanovich, who also attended Wednesday’s hearing virtually, said each carries a maximum penalty of eight years in prison.
Citing witness statements, video surveillance, and body camera footage, prosecutors allege that McIver “slammed her forearm” into a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent and tried to restrain him by “forcibly grabbing” him. She is also accused of pushing an ICE agent and using “each of her forearms to forcibly strike” him.
“The confusion and the chaos that you see was caused by ICE officials and Homeland Security,” she said. “They created this unnecessary situation by arresting the mayor, which later they dropped the charges, as you can see.”
“She was shoving federal agents. She was out of control,” the president said. “The days of that ... are over in this country. We’re going to have law and order.”
