The announcement of charges against a Democratic lawmaker earlier this month marks a dramatic escalation in the Trump administration’s clashes with other branches of government that legal experts say may not hold up in court.
Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., stands accused of two counts of assaulting, resisting and impeding an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, who previously served as President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, announced the charges last Monday after what she described as an unsuccessful attempt to reach an arrangement with the lawmaker. The Democrat attended her first court hearing virtually last Wednesday. She insisted in a statement that the charges against her are “purely political” and “meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight.”
