WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has rejected a resolution to censure Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., and remove her from a committee as she faces federal charges stemming from a visit to an immigration detention facility.
The House voted 215-207 to table the measure, a sign that some were uncomfortable moving forward with censure while McIver’s case is still pending in the courts. A trial in her case has been scheduled for November.
Republicans sought to punish McIver for a confrontation with federal law
enforcement during the congressional visit to a new immigration detention facility in Newark. McIver has pleaded not guilty to federal charges accusing her of assaulting and interfering with immigration officers outside the facility.
The censure resolution recounted how McIver is alleged to have interfered with Homeland Security Investigations officials from making an arrest of an unauthorized visitor. It said she is alleged to have slammed her forearm into the body and forcibly grabbed an HSI officer. The resolution also said body camera and other video evidence supported the allegations made in the federal indictment.
The measure said such actions did not reflect credibly on the House and that her continued service on the House Homeland Security Committee was a significant conflict of interest. The committee’s portfolio includes oversight of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which operates the detention center that McIver tried to enter.
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