Norm Eisen, a former ethics lawyer for the Obama White House, described the criminal charges against Rep. Lamonica McQuiver (D-N.J.) as “absurd” and anticipated that she would “not stand up” in court.
“We’ve all seen that video,” Eisen stated during an MSNBC interview, noting his consistent criticism of President Trump’s administration.
“Yes, it was a serious incident. But there was no crime occurring,” he continued.
Alina Haba, a lawyer from New Jersey, announced on Monday that charges were filed against McQuiver for allegedly assaulting law enforcement at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Center in Newark earlier this month.
This announcement followed an altercation during McQuiver’s visit to Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center. Notably, New Jersey Democrats Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez, along with Newark’s Mayor Rasbaraka (D), were also arrested during this visit, which was revealed on Monday.
McQuiver and her associates contested the term “assault,” arguing that lawmakers were denied access to the facility and that if any law was broken, she was initially escorted on an hour-long tour by the center’s officials.
This marks the first instance of Trump’s Justice Department bringing criminal charges against a sitting lawmaker during his second term.
Eisen, who has challenged various actions from the Trump administration legally, criticized the federal government for moving forward with the charges.
“The Justice Department is out of control under Donald Trump and AG Pam Bondy,” he claimed. “Donald Trump indicated he would become a dictator from day one. This is just another instance.”
“Typically, administrations wouldn’t pursue this, but the courts will ultimately decide. This won’t be swept aside,” Eisen added.
