The House tabled a measure that would have also removed Rep. LaMonica McIver from her committee assignment on the Homeland Security Committee. (Fran Baltzer for New Jersey Monitor)
House Democrats and a few Republicans killed an effort Wednesday to censure a New Jersey congresswoman over her involvement in a scuffle outside a Newark migrant jail that led to federal charges.
Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-10) celebrated the failure to censure her, calling it a partisan attempt to “shut me up.”
“I was not elected to play political games — I was elected to serve,” McIver said on social media shortly after the vote. “I won’t back down. Not now. Not ever.”
In a 215-207 vote, the House tabled the measure, which would have also removed McIver from her committee assignment on the House Homeland Security Committee. Every Democrat voted to table the measure. They were joined by five Republicans: Reps. Don Bacon and Mike Flood of Nebraska, Rep. David Valadao of California, and Reps. Dave Joyce and Mike Turner of Ohio. Two Republicans also voted present.
In separate statements, Bacon and Flood said they didn’t support a censure of McIver because they want the House Ethics Committee to finish its report on this matter.
Republicans lashed out at McIver after she was accused by acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba of assaulting officers during a May 9 altercation while Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested outside Delaney Hall, an immigration detention center that opened in the city in May. Federal prosecutors quickly dropped the charge against Baraka, a Democrat.
A federal grand jury indicted McIver on three counts of interfering with federal law enforcement authorities. McIver pleaded not guilty and maintained that the prosecution is political retaliation. Her attorneys recently asked a judge to dismiss the case against her, which is set to go to trial in November. She faces 17 years in prison if convicted.
Democratic U.S. Reps. Rob Menendez and Bonnie Watson Coleman were also with McIver that day to conduct an unannounced oversight visit of the facility. Menendez and Watson Coleman did not face any charges.
In a statement, Watson Coleman called the push to punish McIver a “charade” to appease President Donald Trump.
“I was with LaMonica at Delaney Hall that day. I didn’t hear about it from a friend. I didn’t read about it in the paper. I didn’t watch it on TV. I was there. I know what I saw. LaMonica did absolutely nothing wrong. In fact, heavily armed, masked federal agents shoved and manhandled us, simply for doing our jobs,” she said.
While a House clerk on Wednesday read the censure resolution — introduced by Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican — Democrats shouted and jeered.
Wednesday’s effort is the second time House Republicans have moved to reprimand a Democrat lawmaker this year. In March, 10 Democrats joined Republicans to rebuke Rep. Al Greene (D-Texas) for heckling Trump during a joint address.
Only 28 House members have been censured in U.S. history. Four of those have been since 2021.
